A Devious Scheme: An Innocent Woman
by woolenslipper
Summary: Jack moves to Coal Valley with one intention: marry Elizabeth Thatcher within two months. First he has to meet her. Then he has to seduce her.
1. Chapter 1 - Jack

**A When Calls The Heart Jack and Elizabeth Story**

 **A Devious Scheme: An Innocent Woman**

Chapter 1

Constable Jack Thornton finished putting the last of his belongings into his satchel and moved away from the metal locker, leaving its door wide open. The empty locker which had kept his few items secure over much of the past year looked cold and unfriendly as it awaited the next Mountie to be assigned here.

 _Let's hope he likes this place better than I ever did,_ the man in his late twenties thought as he pushed the hair from his face.

Crossing the room, he took a final look at his cot; its simple mattress stripped of the sheets issued by the quartermaster. Although he had spent many afternoons and evenings in the warm beds of a number of young women across the city, the curfew which was imposed on Academy students had ensured that from 9:00 at night until 5:00 every morning, he was on that cot. Except for a few weekend passes when he had gotten his freedom from the oppressive regulations of the Force.

Jack Thornton was a good looking man with dimples that made ladies swoon, and blue eyes that he managed to make look innocent. In his Mountie-issued boots, he was finally the full 6 feet in height that eluded him during his youth.

Between his impressive looks and his equally impressive uniform, he had had his share of women. Some he pretended to court. Some he quickly seduced. And some, when he didn't want to bother acting like the gentleman, he simply paid for.

His fellow Mounties had quickly learned that Jack could talk a woman into bed faster than they could unload their service revolvers into a target at the firing range. Some women cried when he left them in the morning. Some smiled from pleasure. And some pocketed the money he left on their nightstands.

Jack grabbed his hat from the line of hooks on the wall. Before putting it on his head, he checked inside to make sure it was his. His name was printed in simple block letters on the tag inside. Jack Thornton.

His name had helped him get a place at the Academy, but that was all it had done. Having a father killed in the line of duty only got you so far. It got you sadness, poverty, despair, and unwanted pity. But it didn't get you to the top of your class. Jack did that all on his own.

As he walked outside of the barracks, Jack had a different name on his mind. Thatcher. Elizabeth Thatcher.

When Jack had first heard about the assignment to Coal Valley from Constable Bobby Tyson, who had recently received orders there, he had barely paid attention. Bobby was a naïve, somewhat goofy, Mountie who was just a few months younger than Jack.

Despite their closeness in age, Jack, to the surprise of many of their fellow Mounties, had inexplicably become Bobby's protector. Ensuring that the slightly younger man remained wholesome even while Jack fell further into the depths of immorality. It was when he was shielding Bobby from the seedy sides of life that Jack thought most of his own father. The man who had provided for Jack. Who had protected him from the harsh realities of life until his death.

Jack realized it was probably best that the wholesome fellow Mountie was assigned to a small town where he wouldn't encounter anything more serious than a drunk stumbling down the street.

Unlike Bobby, Jack had grown up having his share of fistfights and run-ins with the law before entering the Academy. He had committed more petty crimes than his mother could have ever imagined, and had his first drink shortly after his father died. His father's death had forced his family to live off a meager widow's pension and a teacher's salary. If his father could die and leave a widow with two young boys to fend for themselves, Jack had had no qualms about committing vandalism and stealing a few meals when the desire struck him.

Luckily for Jack, his boyish charm saved him from being thrown into jail more than once before he finally decided to stop eluding the law and become a part of it.

He wanted excitement and there was no reason why he couldn't earn a steady paycheck at the same time. For that reason, he had been looking forward to his assignment to Cape Fullerton. Now that he had graduated from the Academy, a curfew would no longer interfere with the games of poker and darts he had planned. The Scotch and cigarettes. The nights with the women.

But then, three weeks ago, he had sat down for breakfast at the mess hall with Bobby.

It was a breakfast that changed everything.

As Bobby explained over a cup of coffee and plate of scrambled eggs that he had just been assigned to Coal Valley because someone had requested special treatment for a wealthy daughter, Jack's ears had perked up.

By the time breakfast was over, Jack had formulated a plan. And it no longer included Cape Fullerton.

It had been simple enough to convince the naïve Bobby to switch assignments with Jack. It had taken a little more convincing and a week's worth of pay to convince the Sergeant in charge of assignments to change the orders.

Mr. William Thatcher, the shipping magnate of Hamilton, Ontario, had a young daughter moving to a small town to teach.

And Jack Thornton was moving to that same small town to seduce her.

* * *

As Jack rode into Coal Valley, he mentally went over his timeline again. It should take no more than a month to seduce the young socialite.

Another month to ensure that he got her pregnant.

He wasn't being vain. Jack Thornton knew what he was good at. He wasn't good at keeping the love of a virtuous woman. He had failed miserably at that. He wasn't even sure there were any truly virtuous women in the world anymore.

But getting women to give up their innocence to him was something he was good at. He had even made a simple barn floor covered in straw seem romantic to some women.

After Elizabeth was in the family way, it would just be a matter of a week or two before they were married and he was meeting his new father-in-law. And then Jack would insist that Elizabeth quit her job as a teacher. After all, she had their precious child and her health as her most important job, he would argue.

With no reason to stay in Coal Valley, Jack would graciously offer to resign from the Force and take a job with Thatcher Shipping. He would be the son Mr. Thatcher never had. He would be set for life.

From his quick investigation into Elizabeth Thatcher, Jack knew that she was headstrong and intelligent. That might make his scheme take a little longer than he had planned, but he was still confident it would work. He also knew that she wasn't in a courtship. That meant that she was pure and gullible. A perfect target for his charms.

Jack Thornton wasn't an evil man. He had never forced himself on a woman, killed a man, or stolen from a widow or child.

After he had once punched a fellow Mountie for teasing him about what he did with his poker winnings, the other Mounties knew to keep their thoughts to themselves. They never again laughed when they found Jack donating money to the families that lived on the poorest streets. That was his one soft spot. Hard working widows with young children.

Jack had grown up hard. He had never felt the unforgiving love of a woman other than his mother. And that had left him jaded.

Jack reined his horse to a stop at the top of the hill. He looked down at the small town in the valley. It was smaller than he imagined. More picturesque. For a brief moment, he actually wondered what it would be like to live a wholesome life in a small town. Working hard. Sharing his life with a good woman.

Then he banished that thought from his mind and began riding down into the valley.

Towards Elizabeth Thatcher.


	2. Chapter 2- Jack's Achilles Heel

**Chapter 2 - Jack's Achilles Heel**

According to Greek mythology, when Achilles was just a baby, it was foretold that he would die young. Alarmed by this prediction, his mother took him to the River Styx, which was said to offer the powers of immortality. Holding him by one heel, she dipped her infant into the water, bathing him in its magical powers. The only part which the water didn't touch was the heel by which she held him. So concerned with making him immortal, she hadn't realized that one small part of his body, that touched by her thumb and forefinger, didn't get wet.

Over the years, Achilles grew up to become a warrior. A hero. An unscathed survivor of many battles. He was immune to the arrows, swords, and rocks aimed at him.

Until one day when a poison arrow hit him in the heel. The same heel by which his mother had held him when she dipped him into the river.

The arrow killed him.

All the plans for his immortality were ended by his simple unprotected heel.

The world's first Achilles' heel.

* * *

Constable Jack Thornton had been in town three weeks and his scheme to seduce Elizabeth Thatcher was not going at all according to plan.

Nothing was going as he expected.

Nothing .Nada. Zilch.

Before arriving in Coal Valley, Jack had been so intent on investigating Elizabeth Thatcher that he had barely paid attention to the rest of the town's history. For that reason, Jack had made the same mistake that Achilles' mother had made. He had overlooked one small spot in the protection he had built around himself.

Widows with young children.

While preparing for his posting in Coal Valley, Jack had heard about the mine explosion. The deaths of 47 miners. But he hadn't realized that so many of the miners had been husbands. Fathers. Or that some of their families would have remained in Coal Valley rather than go back east.

Now that he was living in town, Jack realized that he couldn't walk two minutes without running into someone who reminded him of his mother. The furrowed brow. The look of determination despite the poverty and worry. The sadness behind the eyes that tried to stay confident.

Or a young child who reminded him of himself or his brother Tom when they were younger. The tear-stained cheeks. The dazed look every day when you suddenly have to realize all over again that your father won't be home for dinner.

Coal Valley was full of widows and children. Jack's area of weakness. His vulnerability. His Achilles' heel.

They were everywhere.

And he couldn't look away without helping them.

* * *

"Constable Thornton, I have a mouse in my house. Can you help me with the traps?"

"Mountie Jack, I'm afraid at night without my husband. Can you install a lock on the door?"

"Sir, can you talk to my children? My son needs some fatherly advice about fighting."

"Constable, we womenfolk don't feel safe. Can you increase your patrols?"

Jack did whatever was asked of him. He played ball with the fatherless boys. He fixed broken steps. He increased his patrols. He warned the single men in town to be on their best behavior.

He was so busy that he barely had time to pay attention to Elizabeth Thatcher.

The first time Jack had seen her, he hadn't even realized it was Elizabeth. He had arrogantly come upon the group of residents at the mine entrance who were arguing over a plank of wood.

Jack had half a mind just to break the plank over his knee and throw the pieces into a fire. That would quickly put an end to the town's disagreement over the stupid message. But he had a role to play. And he would play it well. He would be the dignified and honest law enforcement for the town. Even if it was handling something as minor as the contentious ownership of a simple two by four piece of lumber.

She had been there in the crowd. Holding a child on her hip. He noticed her right away. Because she was dressed in simple clothes that were worn and too small, and because she had a child on her hip, Jack had assumed that she was a town resident. Still, he had noticed her. He just didn't know it was Elizabeth.

For some reason, she was the only woman he had noticed that day in the crowd.

* * *

"You are going to keep your end of the bargain!" Jack said forcefully to Henry Gowen three weeks after he had first ridden into town.

"The hell I am. It was an oral agreement. No witnesses. In fact, now that I think about it, I don't remember it even occurring."

"You damn well know it occurred. You promised those women they could have their homes if they cleared the mine shaft!"

"No court will uphold the word of a simple widow against mine. I want those women out of those homes. And you're the town's Mountie. So do it!"

Jack was furious. His eyes were narrowed, unyielding. The smile he saved for the fatherless children was nowhere to be seen.

"I am not going to kick the women out of those houses. We're going to settle this matter right here and now," he said sternly.

* * *

Two hours later, Jack's face showed little happiness despite his victory over Henry Gowen, a man he found to be cynical, conniving, and heartless.

"Done. It's in writing. The women get to keep their homes. At least for the next six months. I believe that fulfills the first of your two conditions. Now, what's the second condition?" Mr. Gowen demanded as he set down his pen.

"No one can ever know. You keep your damn mouth shut about this."

"You don't want anyone to know that the town's new Mountie just saved them from being thrown out on the streets?"

"That's right. Let them think you upheld your end of the bargain without any interference from me."

"That's just fine with me. You're a fool, Constable."

"You're the one who just lost hundreds of dollars in rent for those homes because you're a lousy poker player. I'd say you're the fool, Gowen", Jack said coldly as he walked out the door.

* * *

Jack closed the door to the jailhouse, took off his hat and hung it on the simple hook by the door. It had been a long day, and the exhaustion was etched on his face. He would have loved to have a couple shots of whiskey. But he wouldn't. Not now. Not in Coal Valley. He had a reputation to uphold.

Now that the housing fiasco was handled, he could focus on Elizabeth.

Starting tomorrow, he would have to arrange some unplanned encounters with her. Cross her path. Bump into her at the mercantile. Maybe delay leaving his room at the Saloon on Monday morning so he could see her before the school day started.

The whiskey would have to wait until after they were married. He could wait that long. It would only be another month or two. Once they were married, he could have a whole bottle every night if he wanted.

* * *

"Jack, did you hear?" Elizabeth called out as she hurried across the street the next afternoon. "The women get to keep their houses. We cleared the mine. Mr. Gowen's signing over the leases today."

"That's terrific. You women worked really hard."

"We did!", Elizabeth gushed. Her cheeks were flushed pink from rushing to talk to Jack and from the pride she felt at helping the town widows.

"Can I interest you in joining me for a lemonade at the Saloon? We can toast to your victory over Mr. Gowen."

"I'd love to. Thank you for the invitation," Elizabeth replied happily as she matched her gait to Jack's and walked with him to the Saloon.

* * *

The couple found a small round table at the back of the Saloon, and Jack made sure he pulled out a chair for Elizabeth. She smiled as she sat down, clearly pleased with his gentlemanly manners despite the fact that they were in a dusty saloon in a small coal town. Once she was seated, Jack went to the bar and returned a minute later with two large glasses of lemonade, setting down one of them in front of her.

The conversation flowed easily as Elizabeth rattled on about her students, and Jack made sure that he chuckled in all the right places as she described their antics.

"Jack, you would not believe the handful they can be."

"I bet half of them are acting up just to get your attention. If I had a teacher as pretty as you, I would have done anything to get her to look at me", Jack said casually before he took a sip of his drink.

Elizabeth bit her lip nervously. _He probably doesn't even realize what he just said. Does he really think that I'm pretty? Am I prettier than other girls he knows? Does he share glasses of lemonade with other girls? Oh my goodness, why am I wondering these things?!_

"By the way, thank you for speaking to Martin Riley. He was very well behaved today", she finally managed to say when she felt brave enough that her voice wouldn't squeak with nerves over Jack thinking she was pretty.

Jack looked startled. _How the heck did she know about that?_

"His mother told me. She said she asked you to speak to him about his acting out", Elizabeth offered when she saw Jack's surprised expression.

"It was fine. No big deal."

"It is a big deal. You're the town constable and yet you've been doing much more than law enforcement. You've helped almost every widow in town. It's not your job to discipline the children, give advice, fix leaking water pumps . . . I heard you did that too", she added when he looked surprised again.

"I would rather talk about you. Tell me more about how you're liking this town", he encouraged Elizabeth with a smile. A smile he knew would show off his dimples. _Let her talk about herself.  
_

Elizabeth bit her bottom lip nervously again. _Why does my heart race when he smiles at me with those dimples of his?_

* * *

An hour later, Jack and Elizabeth walked slowly towards the row house.

 _How is it I totally lose track of time when I'm with him_? Elizabeth thought as they neared the home's steps.

Elizabeth climbed to the top step and opened the door. She turned to look at Jack, pausing in the doorway.

"Jack . . . would you like to come for lunch tomorrow after Church? I'm not a great cook, but I'll have Abigail help me make it. She'll eat with us", she said nervously.

"I would like that very much, Elizabeth. I look forward to it. Good evening", he said with a smile. He put two fingers on his hat and gave a slight nod before walking away.

Elizabeth closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Glad that Jack couldn't see through the two inch thickness of wood. She would be too embarrassed if he saw the large grin on her face. She couldn't stop smiling. _He's so gorgeous! I wonder if he likes me._

 _I think he might,_ she thought as she danced across the room.

 _Oh, stop being silly, Elizabeth. You came here to teach. Not enter into a romance._

* * *

Jack hadn't spent as much time with Elizabeth as he had planned in the last three weeks, but so far he didn't like what he knew. She was nice. Intelligent. Confident.

Actually the problem was that he _did_ like what he knew about her. He wasn't supposed to. He wasn't supposed to find her so . . . mesmerizing.

As he walked back to the jailhouse, Jack found himself getting angry at Elizabeth. _Why is she so nice?!_

Jack frowned at Elizabeth's ineptness at simple things like riding a horse. She had no business being in Coal Valley. He knew he should use that to his advantage. Be friendly to her. Offer to assist her in simple tasks. Be a hero.

Instead of appreciating how easy it was to use her innocence against her, it bristled him. It angered him.

It would be days before he figured out that it made him angry because he was drawn to her. And he didn't want to be drawn to her. She was his mark. The target of his scheme. She wasn't supposed to be so darn adorable.

 _Focus, Jack. Focus. The end goal. Seduce her. Marry her. Get the heck out of this town. Be set for life,_ he told himself.

The only problem with Jack's plan was the seduction.

It wasn't just Elizabeth who was being seduced.

Jack was quickly being seduced by Coal Valley.

* * *

Abigail Stanton drew back the quilt and crawled into bed. She listened to the sounds of Elizabeth in the room next door as she walked across the floor. Abigail was happy to have Elizabeth living with her after the young school teacher had burned down the teacherage. It felt good to have another person in the house. It had been too empty after Peter and Noah had died in the mine.

And having the new Constable for dinner once a week had brought a smile to Abigail's face. She liked cooking for a young man. Even if he seemed guarded much of the time.

It was obvious that Elizabeth had come to Coal Valley to find out who she was.

And that Jack had come to Coal Valley thinking that he knew who he was.

Abigail had prayed for someone to teach the young children of Coal Valley. She had prayed for something to fill the void left in her heart when her husband and son had been killed. She had prayed for a way not to lose her home to the Coal company.

She certainly didn't think that she had prayed for a naïve young rich woman who couldn't take care of herself to come to town as the new teacher.

And she certainly didn't think she had prayed for a handsome young Mountie who kept looking at her in a way that made her feel like he wanted to treat her like his mother.

Abigail Stanton turned down the light on her nightstand. As she lay her head on her pillows, she sighed and gave her head a little shake of confusion. _God certainly works in mysterious ways._

Jack wasn't sure that he believed in God, but if he did, he'd have to agree with Abigail.

 **Up next: Chapter 3**


	3. Chapter 3- Nursing Wounds

**Chapter 3 Nursing Wounds**

The early Autumn weather had been perfect for three weeks, allowing plenty of opportunity for Jack to spend time with Elizabeth. They had walked through town and fed bread to the ducks in the nearby lake. Sat on the front porch of the jailhouse in the quiet stillness of the evenings. Talked as she picked vegetables in Abigail's garden. Laughed and enjoyed each other's company.

Jack hadn't kissed her yet, but he was making progress in their relationship. He didn't want to frighten her by moving too fast. He knew that the first kiss needed to be special. A romantic setting. Nothing too passionate. Gentle and light. Just enough to get her wanting more.

For twenty of the past twenty one days, Jack had made sure that he finished his rounds early enough that he had time to wash up before he came across Elizabeth at the end of her school day. He had only missed one day, yesterday, and he regretted that.

Yesterday, Jack had come back late from rounds. It was dark by the time he made it to the Saloon which was crowded with miners, who had already imbibed copious amounts of beer.

Sitting on a stool at the bar, eating a barely edible bowl of chili and a piece of stale cornbread, Jack had overhead the drunken talk of the new miners standing near him.

"Saw you with that teacher earlier today. She was all by her lonesome 'til you decided to keep her company. You get anywhere?" the gruff voice of a miner spoke to the man dressed in clothes covered in coal dust who was drinking with him.

"She's a damn snob. I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk by the lake and she tells me 'Thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I have to decline.' She used that rich snooty voice of hers."

"I ain't never known you to take a refusal lightly, Will."

"Didn't say I did. I let her know that she wasn't so much better than me. Also let her know that I plan on taking her to the lake some night. Bitch got mad at me and told me to keep my distance."

The shorter man had laughed. "You better keep your distance. School teachers know how to use a switch."

"I'll use a switch on her. Put her in her place. No woman turns me down like that", Will had declared angrily as he took a final slug of beer.

Slamming down his glass, he wiped his dirty hand across his mouth. "I'm out of money."

Jack had calmly set down his spoon and followed Will out of the Saloon into the dark night.

* * *

Now in the bright light of the afternoon, Jack watched out the window. He saw Elizabeth as she walked out the Saloon at the end of the school day. She stood in front of the building as she spoke to a student's mother.

Jack only had a few minutes but he wanted to make sure that he saw Elizabeth at least once a day when he was in town.

 _Consistency. Get her to expect to see me every day. Then when I'm gone, she'll miss me. Absence makes the heart grow fonder._

Jack put on his hat, grabbed his bedroll, and hurried out the door.

"Jack, hello there", Elizabeth called out in a friendly manner as she saw him coming down the steps of the jailhouse.

She hurried across the street with a smile on her face. He grinned when he realized that she was always happy to see him.

"Elizabeth, hello. How was your day, today?"

"It's been a good day. I feel like the students and I finally have a really good relationship. And I can actually tell the Bertson twins apart!"

Jack laughed. "I told you. Phil has a freckle on the right earlobe."

"Thank you for that! You were right. I finally noticed it today."

Seeing the rolled blanket under Jack's arm, Elizabeth looked towards the horse tied to the rail that ran the length of the front porch.

"You'll just be gone four days, right?"

"That's right. To Bradford and back. Just another routine patrol. I need to go there every other month. And don't forget, we have a date for a picnic when I get back", he said with a smile as he began attaching his rolled blanket to the horse's saddle.

As Elizabeth watched Jack's hands pull tightly on the ropes to secure his bedding, she noticed the dried blood on his knuckles.

"Jack, what happened? To your hand?"

"Oh, that's nothing. I was clumsy and fell in the woods earlier. I'm pretty good on a horse, but my walking leaves a little to be desire, I guess," he joked.

"You fell?"

"Over a tree root."

"Come with me", Elizabeth instructed as she took hold of his arm and led him across the street. "I am not going to let you leave town with your hand like that."

Jack laughed but he let her lead him. "I'm a Mountie. We're trained in basic medical care."

"Yes, but you're also a man."

"What is that supposed to me? And how do you know about men?"

"I know about boys. And men are just big boys. And even though I've only been a teacher for a short time, I have seen my share of boys with scraped knees and cuts. Boys always try to act tough when they really need some loving care."

Jack smiled as he thought about getting some loving care from Elizabeth.

He hadn't intended for her to see his knuckles but he had to admit it was a nice surprise.

* * *

"Sit down", she instructed as she released his arm and walked inside the empty Saloon to her desk, pulling out a small first aid kit.

"You're my third patient today. Of course, you are three times the age of my other two patients," Elizabeth said as she sat down in the chair next to Jack, opened a small bottle of iodine, and poured some of the liquid onto a square piece of gauze.

Then she confidently picked up Jack's injured hand, cradling it her own. With her other hand she began dabbing the wounded knuckles with the gauze.

With her head bowed, Jack couldn't see her eyes. But he felt her warmth. Her caring.

When Elizabeth blew gently on the wounds, Jack felt his heart give a little flutter.

 _Stop it, Jack! Don't get emotional. You're not here to get invested in a real relationship,_ he thought as his hand remained in hers.

He liked how it felt to have her touch him. To have their hands together.

"So, you did this when you fell in the woods?"

"Uh huh", he responded absently as he stared at her hair. _Those curls are adorable. How do they spiral like that?_

"That's odd. Because it almost looks like you could have gotten them from punching someone", Elizabeth said casually as she blew on the wounds again and then reached for a bandage.

"Nope. In the woods. I fell."

"Well, I'm glad you told me. Because if I didn't know better, I would think that maybe you punched William Perkins after he was treating me poorly. I was walking down the street today and he practically ran away from me. But not before I saw that he had a split lip and a black eye."

Elizabeth looked at Jack sternly, waiting for his admission.

"I can't say I know anything about that. That wouldn't be very Mountie-like of me to punch him. Twice."

"No, it wouldn't."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows at Jack, but he got the distinct impression that she wouldn't have been too upset if he admitted that he was responsible for Will Perkins' injuries.

"I have a question for you," he said in an effort to change the topic.

"Do you kiss your patient's injuries?" he asked with a teasing smile.

Elizabeth laughed. "I do. But they are 9 years old. You are a grown man. So no kissing of your wounds for you."

Jack chuckled and got up from the chair. "I need to get going. Thanks for the medical care, Nurse Thatcher."

Elizabeth followed Jack as he moved towards the Saloon door. As he turned to say a final goodbye, she put out her hand on his arm.

"No kiss for your boo-boos. But I will give you a kiss for defending my honor. Thank you", she said quietly as she reached forward and lightly touched her lips to his left cheek. Letting them linger for a moment.

When she moved her head back slowly, Jack stared at her. Their faces less than an inch apart.

Without thinking of the implications, Jack lifted up his hand and gently placed it on her cheek, holding her face close to his. He wanted to kiss her so badly. Just a small kiss. To touch those lips.

Jack realized that Elizabeth hadn't moved away from the touch of his hand. Instead, her lips parted ever so slightly, anticipating. Waiting. Wanting.

He leaned forward, closing the short distance between their lips. They were soft. Warm. Tender.

 _Just a small kiss,_ he told himself.

Her arms went around him. Her mouth opened wider, melting into him.

The kiss began more passionate. Long and moist. The heat rising between the two of them.

Jack heard a moan of pleasure but he didn't know if it came from him or her.

 _Why can't I stop? What does this feel so incredibly good? So incredibly right? What the hell is she doing to me?_

He moved his hand behind her head. Keeping her close as their mouths refused to part.

Finally, Jack pulled back and stared at Elizabeth, who took a breath and gave him a small smile. Her eyes lit up with happiness.

"I've got to go. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that", he apologized. "Please forgive me."

"Jack-"

"I'm sorry. You deserve better."

Before Elizabeth could respond, Jack hurried out the door. Leaving a stunned Elizabeth to wonder why it seemed that their kiss had scared him.

* * *

Jack had been gone from Coal Valley for two nights.

Last night, he slept out in the open fields. Looking at the stars above him. He had ridden all day to make sure he would sleep well. Without restlessness. Without worried dreams.

He would have like to have slept outside again tonight on the outskirts of Bradford, but the rain had changed those plans. His horse preferred the dryness of the livery to standing under a tree in the storm.

While the horse stayed in a warm stall for the night, Jack took a room at one of the town's two hotels. He didn't consider staying at the nicer of the two, which was small and catered to businessmen in the area to check on contracts and properties. Instead, he passed by it and headed toward the more run-down building. A hotel that catered to railroad workers and travelers who couldn't afford the nicer establishment.

* * *

"Another one", Jack called out as he raised his glass to the bartender across the room. He had already had two shots. But what did it matter. It had been over two months since the smooth taste of whiskey had slipped down his throat. Helping him ease his self-doubts.

As the bartender came over with a bottle and began to pour the amber liquid, Jack looked around the room. With a start, he thought he saw her. Her long caramel colored hair cascading down her back.

 _Elizabeth?! What are you doing here?!_

When the woman turned, Jack quickly realized his mistake. She was nothing like Elizabeth. Elizabeth wouldn't wear the gaudy make-up. The trashy clothes.

If it was obvious from one look at Elizabeth that she was a woman of class, it was just as obvious from one look at this woman, that she was a working woman.

The woman noticed Jack eyeing her, and she made her way across the room. Smiling as she approached him. Swaying her hips suggestively.

Without asking, she sat on Jack's lap, straddling him. Displaying her cleavage for his eyes. His mouth.

He inhaled her cheap perfume. It was the opposite of Elizabeth. Elizabeth was clean. Pure. Fresh. But he didn't want to think about Elizabeth. He wanted to forget how she made him feel.

The woman took Jack's hand and placed it on her hip. Letting him feel her soft curves.

He kissed her mouth, ignoring the offensive taste of cigarettes and alcohol as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Jack didn't object when she pulled back and reached into his pocket, fumbling around until she found his room key.

He didn't object when she took his hand and led him upstairs to his hotel room.

 **Up next: Chapter 4**


	4. Chapter 4 - Hotel and Home

**Chapter 4 – Hotel and Home**

Jack sat on the edge of the bed which was covered with an old quilt that had obviously seen its share of hotel guests. It had more than one stain on it and Jack would rather not wonder about what fluids had left the stains. The room, with its peeling wallpaper, was stuffy and stunk of old cigarettes and cigars.

The prostitute didn't mind the condition of the room. She had seen it before and was used to it. Besides, all she cared about was that there was a bed.

She knelt on the floor in front of Jack and removed his boots. Talking to him. Telling him how handsome he was. Telling him what she thought he wanted to hear.

When she stood up, she stayed between his legs. Letting him put his hands on her waist and pull her closer to him. His hands pushed apart her cheap blouse and he moved his mouth on the swell of her breasts. She moaned in response to his touch. Not because she enjoyed it but because she knew that men liked it when she made the sound.

She flipped open the top button of his pants and then pressed her mouth to his. Pushing her tongue against his. He responded with hard urgent kisses. Thrusting his tongue deeper into her mouth.

She pulled away, giving him a chance to catch his breath, and began unbuttoning his shirt. Running her tongue along his neck before returning to his hot demanding mouth.

The third shot of whiskey which Jack had poured down his throat as they left the bar was starting to muddle his brain. When she asked him a question, it took a moment for her words to register.

"What did you say?" Jack asked in confusion as he pulled his face away from hers.

"Who's Elizabeth? That's what you just called me."

Jack stared at the woman.

"It don't matter to me, honey. I can be anyone you want me to be. What does she do that you like?" the woman asked with a smile.

Jack continued to stare at her. At her tawdry lipstick. The wrinkles at the corner of her mouth from smoking too many cigarettes. Her thickly penciled eyebrows.

This wasn't what he wanted.

It wasn't who he wanted.

This wasn't the man he wanted to be.

"I'm sorry. You need to leave", Jack said as he gently pushed the woman away.

"But, honey. I ain't done anything yet. You can call me Elizabeth. Lizzie. Beth. Whatever you want."

"No. Please leave. I'll pay you anyway." Jack stood up and took his wallet from his pocket. He removed several bills and handed them to the woman as he walked her to the door. "Please just go. I'm sorry. I don't want you."

Jack closed the door behind the woman and slumped onto the bed. He hung his head down in defeat. _That's twice in one week I've apologized for kissing a woman. What the hell is wrong with me? What has she done to me?_

As he crawled into bed for the night, he wiped away the tears before they could fully form in his eyes.

* * *

It was six o'clock at night by the time Jack reached Aberdeen. It was a long detour on his trip back to Coal Valley. But he needed to see the woman.

Arriving before dusk, he ignored how tired and hungry he felt. He knew it was better to take care of his horse before taking care of himself. After putting the saddle and blanket on the nearby rack he knew so well, he made sure that the animal had fresh water and hay in a clean stall.

As he left the barn, and walked towards the small house, Jack smiled at the warm light flickering in the window.

* * *

"Are you still playing poker?" the woman asked as she refilled Jack's plate with another piece of chicken and then three more heaping spoons of mashed potatoes.

"Not much. Most people in that town can't afford to lose a lot."

"Most people. But not all?"

Jack chuckled. "There are one or two that could afford it."

"I'm assuming that you've won since I taught you everything I know. What did you do with your winnings?"

"Spent them."

"You gave them away, didn't you?" she asked knowingly.

Jack didn't reply but took another bite of food.

"You're a good man."

Jack shook his head.

"No, I'm not, Ma. . . .

. . . . I've been with a lot of women", he added quietly as if to clarify the most obvious defect in his character.

"I'm not surprised. You're a grown man. You're not married. You left home years ago." Her voice showed her lack of concern for what she considered a minor character flaw in an otherwise good man.

When Jack didn't say anything, his mother looked at him curiously.

"How many?"

"Too many."

She sighed and looked at her son with a mixture of pity and worry. "Jack, you use women because you don't want to be hurt again. You haven't been lucky with women. I'm sorry about that."

"Unlucky doesn't describe it."

"I know it was hard having your childhood sweetheart die at just 16. And then having . . . Well, your . . . . . fiancé wasn't the right woman for you."

"That became abundantly clear when I found her naked in bed straddling my brother", Jack replied dryly.

"Jack!"

"Sorry, Ma. I didn't mean to be so vulgar."

"It's not your vulgarity that bothers me. It's that you're closing yourself off to love. And it's not just Jessica and that . . . tramp. Jessica was just young love. Not the real adult kind of love that lasts forever. Even though I know it seemed that way at the time. And the tramp. . . . We don't need to talk about how she betrayed you with your brother.

You're afraid. You're afraid because your Pa died and left me brokenhearted. I know you, Jack. You're afraid that you'll die and break a woman's heart and leave some children fatherless."

"No, I'm not", he said with disgust.

"Yes, you are. And you're also afraid that if you fall in love someday, the woman might die and leave you brokenhearted the way your father left me."

Jack remained quiet as he stood up and moved to the stove, picking up the tea kettle and refilling his cup.

"Who is she?"

"Who's who?"

"You wouldn't be here talking to me like this if something wasn't bothering you. And I suspect it's a woman. Now what's up?"

Jack stared into his teacup. "I barely know her."

"So get to know her."

"She'll never forgive me."

"She'll forgive you for being with other women."

"She won't forgive me for why I moved to Coal Valley."

"You got assigned there. What else are you talking about?" Jack's mother asked curiously.

"I arranged for the assignment."

Her brow furrowed as she watched her son pace the floor. "Why? Whatever for?"

"To seduce her."

"What are you talking about?"

"She's rich. I wanted to seduce her. Marry her. Be set for life. Never have to worry about money again. I could make sure you were always taken care of. I went to Coal Valley with some very ungentlemanly intentions."

Jack looked at his mother and spoke wryly. "Not exactly the son you hoped for."

"Oh, Jack. You've got yourself into a pickle. You've gone and fallen in love with the girl", she replied with a sigh.

* * *

"I'm not in love!", Jack declared forcefully for the third time in the last hour.

"Maybe not yet. But you are certainly on your way there."

"Why would you say something like that? I told you that I barely know her!"

"Why didn't you tell her that you paid the rent for the next six months for the widows?" his mother asked with raised eyebrows.

"It didn't concern her", Jack replied with a shrug.

"Why didn't you brag to her that you threatened that lowlife miner who had insulted her?"

Jack shrugged again.

Jack's mother looked at her son. "You didn't because you don't want to seduce her."

"Of course I do! That's why I went to Coal Valley."

"That may be why you moved there, but that's not what you wanted to do once you met her. If you had wanted to seduce her, you would have let her know about the widows' rent. Made yourself look like a hero. And you would have made sure she knew right away that you beat up that man. You probably would have tried to punch him with her as a witness. What better way than that to get the woman to fall for you. But you didn't."

"I just didn't get around to it. That's all", he responded hotly.

"You didn't tell her because you didn't want to trick her into loving you. You want her to fall in love with you. The real you. And for real. Not a stupid seduction."

"You need to go back to Coal Valley and face her", Jack's mother continued.

"I can't", he replied angrily.

"What's the worst thing that can happen if you fall in love?!"

"She could hurt me! I can't take that. Not again. . . She could hurt me", he repeated. His voice almost a wail.

"Or save you from yourself."

"I can't do it, Ma. I can't."

"Jack, You're my son. I love you. You are a good man. You've just lost your way a little the last couple of years."

Jack stood up from the table and crossed the room. "Is my bed still made up?"

"It is. I always keep it ready in case you're in the area."

"I'm tired. Good night, Ma. I love you."

"Jack-"

"I sent a telegram to Mountie Headquarters before I left Bradford. I requested a transfer out of Coal Valley", he informed her flatly as he walked into the bedroom and closed the door.

 **Up next: Chapter 5**

 **Dear Readers: I know this story is different from many out there. I hope you are enjoying it.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Visiting Family

**Chapter 5 – Visiting Family**

"There. Now you look even more handsome. And more professional. Like a Mountie should look."

Charlotte Thornton, scissors in her hand, stood back from Jack, who was sitting in the wooden kitchen chair, and eyed his neatly trimmed hair.

"Thanks, Ma. You didn't need to. I could have gotten it done in Coal Valley."

"But it wouldn't have been this good", she replied with a smile as she moved towards him.

"Stop. Don't even think about it", he said as he looked at her sternly.

"What?!"

"You were about to spit in your hand and then use that to slick back my cowlick. I'm not five years old, Ma", he answered accusatorily.

He raised his eyebrows and tried not to laugh when he saw by her expression that he was right.

"I don't need your spit in my hair", he added with a smile.

Charlotte dropped her hand to her side and scowled.

"Once a mother, always a mother. Even when my baby is now a man", she informed him before leaning over and giving him a quick kiss on the head.

"Thanks for the haircut and everything else, but I gotta get going", Jack replied as he removed the towel from around his neck and carried it over to the trashcan, where he shook it out. He set the towel on the counter and moved to get his jacket.

"I packed you some food. Cheese, apples, and a dozen homemade biscuits."

" _Your_ home-made biscuits?" He eyed her warily with a smirk.

"No, not _mine_ ", she answered with another scowl when she saw his expression. "Arthur Brownson brought them over for you this morning. You were still asleep. His wife made 'em. She thought she saw you riding past their place last night."

"That was nice of her."

"She wanted to thank you. Arthur told me that you wrote a recommendation for their son to get into the Force and you helped him with his application. He starts next month."

"It wasn't a big deal. They're good people."

"You should stop by on your way out of town. They'd love to see you. And you look so nice and handsome with your new haircut", she said proudly.

"I can't. I'm not going in that direction and I have another stop to make."

Charlotte looked understandingly at her son as she brushed imaginary lint off his jacket and patted him on the back.

"Give him my best", she said quietly as Jack gave her a long hug. "I haven't been out in a few days. I'll go again tomorrow when my chores are done. It seems we have a few things to talk about."

* * *

"Sorry I haven't been to visit in a while. I brought you one of my award ribbons. It's for sharpshooter. I was the best in my unit," Jack said as he set down the thin brass backing with the blue fabric attached to it.

He waited for moment. The quietness surrounding him.

If things had been different, he would have gotten a response. A proud pat on the back. A smile and a pleased boasting that Jack was just like him or even better. A congratulatory hug.

Instead, Jack got silence. Only silence.

He crouched down, pushed aside some leaves that had blown into the area, and sat on the hard cool ground.

"A lot's happened since I last visited. I graduated top of my class. I wanted you there. At graduation. Your name's on a plaque in the Academy's front office so in a way you were there. . . But it's just not the same."

He thought about his graduation and how, when he accepted his rank and insignia, he had wanted the man to be proud of him. Jack paused and took a deep breath to control his feelings before continuing.

"I like being a Mountie more than I thought I would. I'm posted at a small town called Coal Valley. I thought I wanted a big city, but I like being there. You were right when you said that there's nothing like being outside all day, helping people. Being with nature. I know it can be dangerous work, but I can't imagine liking anything better. I finally know why you loved it so much."

Jack grew quiet as he thought about what to tell the man. How honest to be. He pulled at a blade of grass, running it through his fingers and then dropping it back to the ground before picking another one.

He sat for five minutes without speaking.

He watched a grey squirrel, with a nut in its mouth, scamper past him while another one chased after it. He listened to some birds who started chirping, as they seemed to wonder what he was doing in their presence after having been absent for so long.

And still, he sat there quietly. Thinking.

Finally, he spoke again.

"You'd like her, Pa."

Jack chuckled softly. "She can't ride a horse. You'd laugh about that. And she can't cook worth beans. She and Ma got that in common. She's smart. And confident. And real nice. She's a teacher like Ma. And I think she likes me. We talk and laugh a lot when we're together. She's real nice. . . . But I guess I just told you that already. She's pretty too."

Jack's voice grew more solemn as he fingered the blades of grass. He looked at the name etched in the tombstone before looking down sadly.

"But I'm not going to do it, Pa. I'm not going to love her. Ma's right. I don't want the pain of losing someone. And I'm not going to do what you did. You were the best Pa I could ever ask for. But I'm not going to do what you did to us. I'm not going to have a family love me and then leave them alone. To fend for themselves. To live with the hurt.

You know . . . I know you can see us from heaven, so you must know . . . Ma's never laughed and smiled the same since you died. We've never been truly happy about anything since you died."

Jack's eyes welled up with tears and his voice broke.

"I can't do that to a family. It's too cruel. I won't be that cruel."

His shoulder's began to tremble and he finally let the tears run down his cheeks. "You left us, Pa", he sobbed. "We loved you and you died and left us."

* * *

Jack took his time traveling back to Coal Valley. He let the horse linger longer than necessary under the cool shade of trees. He walked through the open fields rather than gallop. He stayed too long at the stream-bank eating the cheese and biscuits. Sharing an apple with his horse.

By the time he got back to town, it would have been almost too dark to see the town if the windows weren't aglow with the light from gas-lamps.

During the long hours traveling back to town, Jack had thought about the situation. He had plenty of knowledge about women and their affections and hopes. More than most men ever hoped to gain. He knew if they secretly liked a man by how they acted. When they were frustrated. When they felt flattered. When they were intrigued.

Jack knew that Elizabeth cared for him. He knew that she was open to the idea of being more than just simple friends. He was pretty sure that if he asked her to enter into a courtship, she would readily agree.

The kiss they had shared, . . . if it had affected her half as much as it affected him, she was already halfway in love with Jack.

For that reason, he had come up with a new plan.

It had been years since Jack's father had died, and yet . . . at times, Jack still felt like the small frightened boy, tears streaming down his face, who had comforted his even smaller brother when their mother had told them that their Pa had died.

Jack was never going to risk doing that to anyone. He was never going to chance leaving a helpless child or wife wondering why their happy lives were suddenly destroyed. He wouldn't let things go so far with Elizabeth that she would ever have to worry about that.

If his plan when he had first arrived in Coal Valley was to seduce Elizabeth, his new plan was to avoid her as much as possible.

 _I'll avoid her until my transfer comes in. She'll forget about me soon enough. Before things get serious._

 _I was never good enough for her anyway,_ he thought as he left his horse at the livery and walked with a heavy heart and his new plan towards the Saloon.

 **Up next: Chapter 6 - Plan number three.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Plan Number Three

**Chapter 6 - Plan number three**

"Do you think I am a bad kisser?" Elizabeth asked as she dunked her tea bag into the cup one more time, before taking it out and placing it on the saucer.

Abigail choked on her own tea and sputtered. "How in the world would I know?!"

Elizabeth barely noticed Abigail's reaction. Instead she sighed deeply, put her elbow on the table, and rested her scowling face in her hand.

"He kissed me and ran away", she complained sadly. "What am I supposed to think?"

Abigail laughed. "He didn't run away. He went on patrol."

"You didn't see his reaction. He ran away like a scared little puppy. In fact, he looked horrified."

"That bad?"

"Imagine my face when I see a spider. And then multiple that by ten."

Abigail couldn't hide her smile. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad. . .

. . . But I do have to admit that as nice as a young man he seems, he's guarded. Sometimes I've gotten the feeling that he's unsure of himself. Or of his place here."

"He was supposed to come back yesterday. I'm just a little uncertain of how to handle the . . . situation."

"You mean the kiss," Abigail said with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

Elizabeth nodded as she picked up her teacup and took another slow sip.

"I recommend you don't say anything. Jack's reticent. For whatever reason your kiss affected him in a way he wasn't ready for. Let him handle it in his own good time."

"Maybe you're right. I won't mention it. But I'll give him plenty of opportunity to explain. I'm not going to avoid him. I'll just act friendly and pleasant when I see him. And if I happen to bump into him often, well, then he'll have lots of chances to talk to me about it!" she added with a smile.

* * *

Jack was back in town for a week when he had to admit that his plan to avoid Elizabeth was not going at all according to plan.

Nothing was going as he expected.

Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

No matter how hard he tried to avoid Elizabeth, she turned up unexpectedly. At the mercantile. At the Saloon. At Abigail's new café.

She never seemed angry at him even though he had kissed her and run away. _Although technically, she started that kiss_ , he reminded himself.

She never questioned why he had left so abruptly after their kiss, seeming to understand that he was working through something of his own.

She simply smiled or waved at him. As they walked by each other on the steps of the mercantile, she stopped and asked how his trip to Bradford went. As they passed in the streets, she remarked that the weather was beautiful. As he rode by her, she would reach out and take hold of the horse's bridle. Holding the animal still for a minute while she ran her hand along its muzzle.

Neither one of them ever brought up the kiss.

Finally, realizing it was impossible to avoid her, Jack came up with plan number three. _We'll be friends. Just friends. It can happen._ _Men and women can be friends._

And so, satisfied with his new plan, Jack and Elizabeth became friends.

* * *

Every night Jack went over a list in his mind of what he didn't like about Elizabeth. Giving himself a reason not to love her. Hopelessly trying to convince himself that she wasn't worthy of his desires.

Sometimes he would lay in bed for ten minutes before he could come up with something.

 _Her upper lip is too thin. . . . Although she was a pretty damn good kisser._

 _She has curly hair. . . . Strike that. I love her curly hair. . . I love her lips too._

* * *

Jack was handling paperwork when Elizabeth opened the door to the jailhouse and smiled at him when he looked up from the desk.

"Hi, Jack. I've got a favor to ask", she said with slight exasperation in her voice.

Jack leaned back in his chair, holding his pencil between his hands as he eyed her with a grin on his face. "If you're going to try to talk me into giving a speech to your class, I already told you I'd do it, but not this week."

"It's not that", she said as she walked towards him, now giving him a smile. She placed a muffin on the desk in front of him. An obvious attempt at a bribe.

"Who made it?"

"Abigail."

Jack smiled and reached for the muffin. He took a bite, swallowed appreciatively, and wiped the crumbs from his mouth before speaking.

"If it's more riding lessons, I thought we already determined that you're hopeless at it. Besides is too late tonight."

"It's not that either, you brat," she retorted, trying to act insulted even though she knew that he had accurately described her riding ability.

"I need a quiet place to finish grading these papers and prepare for tomorrow's lesson. The Saloon is full of unruly miners and Abigail's got a quilting bee going on at our place. And the women are baking cookies too. Two things I can't do. I'd rather not spend the evening being reminded of my insufficiencies. Can I work here?"

"Here?"

Elizabeth looked around. Without waiting for a response she walked into the cell which Jack usually used for sleeping. The bed was neatly made. She glanced at the extra cot in the other cell and noticed it was covered with gear which Jack had been reorganizing. "Sure. I'll sit on your cot to work."

"Elizabeth –"

"I won't make a peep. I promise!", she pleaded. "I'm exhausted and I need to get it done."

"Okay. But not a peep out of you", he ordered before he returned his gaze to his paperwork.

* * *

Jack decided that he would not look up at her for at least twenty minutes. She was far too distracting.

Nineteen minutes later, Jack couldn't wait any longer.

Elizabeth was lying on Jack's cot with her long hair splayed out on his pillow. Her soft feminine form should have seemed out of place in a bare jail cell, and yet all he could think about was how it seemed so perfect that she was asleep on his bed. Her head on his pillow.

When he realized that he was smiling as he looked at her, Jack quickly scowled.

The slam of the door closing as Jack walked out and headed to the Saloon caused Elizabeth to jerk awake.

* * *

 _Her French is dreadful. . . . Although, how much French will she ever have to speak?_

 _She spends far too much money on clothing. . . . Of course, she does look very pretty in her outfits._

 _She's too obstinate. Definitely. That's why I could never love her. It would never work with our personalities. . . . . But we can still be friends._

* * *

"I told you, Elizabeth, baking soda is not the same a baking powder. You used baking soda", Jack said as he spit the piece of cake into his napkin two days later.

"How do you know?" she asked with a frown.

"Because it's got a metallic taste. Next time follow the recipe exactly."

"Fine. I guess I was in a hurry", she said with a sigh. "This means no cake for our picnic tomorrow."

"I'll pack the apples", Jack chuckled.

* * *

 _She can't cook. Our children would waste away to nothing. They'll starve to death before they are old enough to walk to the nearest food store. . . .Although my Ma's a terrible cook, and we all still love her. Tom and I didn't starve. . . . Although I wish Tom had_ **,** he thought angrily.

 _She can't sew. And she would spend all our money on her clothes. There'd be no money left to buy clothes for our children! . . . . or . . . she could spend the money on our childrens' clothes and she could just walk around naked a lot._

* * *

"How many girls have you kissed?" Elizabeth asked casually as she handed Jack a sandwich from her wicker basket.

 _Where the heck did that come from?!_ Jack thought as he took the sandwich from her and tried to remain cool and collected.

They were sitting on a large blanket spread on the grass by an oak tree. The sun shone through the branches, making a dappling pattern on Elizabeth's dress.

 _We're just friends having a casual conversation,_ he told himself as he took a bite of his sandwich before answering. "Lots."

"Lots?"

"Yep." Jack pretended to be interested in the cheese in his sandwich as he avoided looking at her.

Elizabeth frowned as she looked down at her own sandwich. "I guess because you're a Mountie and a man and on your own."

"Yeah. I guess."

"Want more lemonade?" Jack reached for his flask. He twisted off the lid and then refilled her cup as she held it out. "Why'd you ask?"

"Just curious."

"You? You kiss a lot of guys?"

"Nope."

"Why not?

"Because I was raised a lady! That's not exactly the kind of thing we do", she said a little hotly.

 _I've met plenty of ladies who do just that kind of thing_ , Jack thought to himself as Elizabeth continued.

"I mean, I've kissed guys. Just nothing serious", she added trying to act nonchalant as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"That's good. . . . I mean, you should save being serious . . . you know, for when you're in a real courtship with someone serious. That you plan to marry maybe."

"Does it matter to you? That I haven't kissed a lot of men."

"Nah, why should it matter? We're just friends. I know we kissed the one time, but that was just weird. I mean a one-time thing", he added quickly. "Not that kissing you was weird. I'm just saying we're just friends. And it won't happen again."

"Right. Of course not."

* * *

 _She . . . ._

 _She . . . ._

 _Damn it! Doesn't she have any flaws?!_

* * *

"Maybe I should get a cowboy hat. Now that I'm learning to ride", Elizabeth said casually, carrying a basket in her hand, as she and Jack walked along the edge of the woods, enjoying an evening walk.

"Elizabeth, despite three weeks of lessons, you're riding is still pretty abysmal", he chuckled. "You are supposed to lead the horse. Not let the horse lead you. Based on yesterday's lesson, you'll never get anywhere except where the horse wants to go. You'll spend your entire life in a pasture, a cool stream, or a horse stall with a pile of hay."

Elizabeth reached up and grabbed Jack's hat, which was faded by months of sun and rain, and was shaped to fit perfectly to his head. Hugging it to her breasts, she moved a few steps away from Jack. "If you're such a cowboy, come and get it!" she taunted him.

When Jack reached for it, Elizabeth evaded his grasp and moved back another step. When he reached again, Elizabeth laughed. "Some big tough Mountie you turned out to be! Letting a little lady like me steal your hat."

With a giggle Elizabeth ran from Jack and disappeared into the edge of the woods.

Jack chuckled and ran after her. As he approached the bushes, he slowed his pace, using his Mountie training to move stealthily with his ears alert. He paused and listened for her breathing. There it was. She was gasping from the run and trying not to laugh.

"Got you!" He jumped around the bush and grabbed Elizabeth, who squealed in delight and then burst into laughter as she struggled against him while trying to hold onto her basket on her arm and his hat in her hand.

Jack held tight to her squirming body until she was laughing so hard that she couldn't have run away even if Jack had let go of his grasp.

The soft caress of his hand in her hair caused her laughter to cease immediately and she met his gaze.

 _Just one kiss. One small kiss. One small perfect kiss,_ Jack thought as he slowly lowered his mouth to hers.

As the small perfect kiss turned into a long perfect kiss, Jack's arms wrapped around Elizabeth's warm body. She fit perfectly against his chest. As if his chest was meant for her. As if someone had carved his torso and muscles and shoulders to fit perfectly against her breast, her flat stomach, her delicate form.

 _Just a little longer_ , Jack thought as his mouth refused to leave Elizabeth's.

* * *

The bird squawking and flying out of the nearby bush startled Elizabeth, causing her to jump back and drop the basket she had been holding on the crook of her arm, scattering the contents onto the forest floor.

Jack crouched down and reached for the envelopes which now lay among the pine needles. He briefly glanced at the return addresses in the left hand corners while Elizabeth grabbed her students' papers which were beginning to blow in the light breeze.

"You got a lot of letters from Hamilton", he remarked as he handed them to her.

"Mother wrote to remind me that I should think about moving back to Hamilton. . . That woman never lets up. Julie wrote to warn me that Charles was likely going to write to me. And Charles wrote me."

"Why did Julie have to warn you? And why did Charles write you?" Jack asked while trying to keep the sudden self-doubt out of his voice.

Elizabeth shoved the envelopes and papers back into her basket and looked around to make sure that she hadn't missed any. "I don't know what he was thinking. He asked me to marry him. In a letter!"

"He asked you to marry him? In a letter?" Jack repeated hesitantly.

"We've only ever been friends. Our fathers probably encouraged him. I have no idea what I'm going to say to him when he shows up", she said with a frown.

"When he shows up?" Jack asked. His voice had turned hard and cold.

"He wrote that he'll be here next week to receive my answer."

"What are you going to say?"

"I just told you. I have no idea."

"You should say yes", Jack said flatly.

Elizabeth froze in her tracks and stared at Jack. "Why would you say that?!"

"Because it's what you should do. We should get going back to town. Looks like a storm's coming."

Elizabeth looked at the sky, which was a beautiful blue without a single cloud.

"Jack, there's not going to be a storm."

"I said we need to get going," he replied harshly.

Jack moved quickly across the grass, forcing Elizabeth to hasten her normal pace to match his stride.

"You shouldn't be kissing me if you're going to marry someone else", Jack said bitterly.

"Excuse me?!"

"It's not something a lady should do."

"First of all, don't tell me what a lady should do", she responded hotly. "I think I know that better than you. And second, I am not going to marry Charles."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't love him. I never even thought about marrying him. I just don't know how to go about letting him down nicely", Elizabeth said, slightly out of breath, as she was finding it more and more difficult to keep pace with Jack who continued to stride across the grass.

"I thought you'd be pleased. That I was turning him down", she added in confusion.

"Don't do anything on my behalf", Jack said with a scowl.

"I'm not doing anything on your behalf! I just thought –"

"Well don't go thinking for me!" he said crossly. "I've got to get to work. I've wasted enough of the day. You should marry Charles and move back to Hamilton. Obviously he thinks there's something between you two even if you're suddenly pretending there's not. Why the hell did you kiss me?!"

"You kissed me first today! "

Jack glared at her. Anger in his eyes. "Forgive me. I'll make sure that I don't make that mistake again."

Elizabeth stood flabbergasted in the street on the edge of town as Jack coldly tipped his hat to her and then stomped towards the jailhouse.

* * *

 _She was never going to fall in love with me._

 _How could I have been so stupid to fall for her._

 _I should have followed my damn plan and be done with it by now!_

Jack had finally found a way to keep from loving her. By believing that she hadn't loved him.

He reached into his bottom desk drawer and took out a bottle from under a small towel. He hadn't touched it once since he had arrived in Coal Valley. It was time to change that.

 **Up next: Chapter 7**


	7. Chapter 7- Dice

**Chapter 7 - Dice**

"No. My answer is no. I must decline your flattering proposal. Please do not travel to Coal Valley. My answer will remain no. . . . That will be $1.45."

"Thank you, Ned. I'll wait while you send it out", Elizabeth said as she reached into her coin purse and then handed the $1.45 to the man across the counter who had just read her dictated words back to her for confirmation.

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll do it right now." Ned glanced over Elizabeth's shoulder. "Be with you in a moment, Constable. I just need to send this telegram to Hamilton."

Elizabeth swirled around in surprise at hearing the word Constable.

Jack, his eyes looking tired and bloodshot, was standing three feet behind her. Elizabeth noticed a nick on his jaw where Jack had carelessly cut himself shaving that morning.

Before Elizabeth could say anything, Jack turned and hurried out the door.

* * *

"Let's summarize this." Abigail said as she refilled Elizabeth's teacup and then sat down at the table across from her. The older woman reached over and took the pad of paper filled with notes from Elizabeth.

"He flattered you and acted like he was interested. He kissed you. He ran away from you after he kissed you. He avoided you. He was friends with you. He kissed you for the second time. After he kissed you, he got angry when he thought you were entertaining the attentions of another man. He told you to marry the other man. And now that he knows you've turned down Charles's proposal, he's run away like a scared rabbit."

Elizabeth nodded. "That's about it."

"I see only two reasons for his actions."

"Me too. He despises me and I'm a terrible kisser", Elizabeth grumbled.

Abigail chuckled. "Those weren't the two I was going with. But if you want to believe those, go ahead."

Elizabeth looked up from her cup of tea. "What were your two reasons?"

"He's protecting you and he's protecting himself."

"Protecting me? From what?"

"He's a Mountie, Elizabeth. It can be a dangerous job. He may not want to have you get involved in a serious relationship with him because he may . . . He may-"

"He may what?"

"He may one day die in the line of duty. He doesn't want you to be hurt that way. Which may be why he told you to marry Charles. So that you would be in a safe marriage."

"A safe marriage to a man I don't love", Elizabeth retorted.

Abigail shrugged. "Women have been worse off than that. From Jack's perspective, you'd be in a safe secure marriage to a man who could provide for you, and without the risk of you becoming the widow of a Mountie. Perhaps even a widow with young children. He wants you to be taken care of."

Elizabeth sighed as she thought about it. "I know his father died when he was boy. I suspect his mother's never gotten over the loss. I suppose that's always in the back of Jack's mind. And that he and his brother had to grow up without a father.

But why did you say that he's protecting himself? Why does he need protecting from _me_?"

"I think that's obvious."

When Elizabeth stared at her questioningly, Abigail finished her sentence.

"He's worried you're going to break his heart. One way or another."

* * *

Jack waited until the last of the children had left the Saloon and then looked at his watch. He had at least an hour until Mr. Trevoy came to open the Saloon and serve alcohol and barely edible food. Jack only needed five minutes.

* * *

"I want to apologize for my actions. I haven't always been very nice to you", Jack said as he stood in the doorway and held his hat in his hand, looking down as he bent the felt brim nervously.

Elizabeth, who hadn't even heard him enter, looked up from her paperwork in surprise. "If you're talking about what happened during our walk the other evening -"

"I'm talking about more than that. I just - I just haven't treated you right. And the other evening after we . . . kissed, I was rude and I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted."

She gave him a smile, but his serious face didn't smile back.

"And please accept my apology for being forward. I shouldn't have kissed you."

"Why not? Didn't you like it?"

"Of course I liked it. Obviously I liked it!", Jack said as he looked at her in surprise. "That's not the point."

"What is the point? Because I haven't had as much experience as you, but I thought the point of kissing was to like it." Her voice was more mocking than she intended.

Jack scowled at Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth! You are not making this easy!"

"Why should I make it easy when I have no idea what's going on because you won't talk to me. You just keep running away!" she responded crossly.

Jack took a deep pause and looked almost imploringly at her. "I'm not the right man for you."

"I'll be the judge of who the right man is for me."

"I haven't always behaved properly." Jack hesitated before continuing. "Before I moved to Coal Valley. I've done some things that aren't forgivable."

"Isn't it for me to determine that? For me to decide what I'm willing to forgive?"

"I'd just end up hurting you."

"Why do you say that?" Elizabeth's eyes were gentle as she looked at him.

"Because -. Because I just would!"

"Jack –"

"You deserve better than me!", he said angrily. "Just leave it at that!"

"I don't want to leave it at that!"

Elizabeth took a deep breath to calm herself. Somehow, Jack managed to jumble her emotions like dice. He could turn her from happy to angry to sad as easily as if he were rolling six-sided cubes out of dice cup, scattering them on a table and seeing what came up. And then just as quickly pick them up and roll them again.

"Please, Jack. Can't we talk about this? I like you. I think you like me. We enjoy each other's company."

"I think it's best that we are just friends. Good friends. Friends that can count on each other. But nothing more. It's probably best for both of us."

Elizabeth sighed deeply. Resigning herself to the fact that she wouldn't get much farther with Jack today.

"Fine. Friends it is. If that's what you want."

"It is."

Elizabeth looked sadly at Jack as he moved to walk out the door.

"Jack."

He paused and looked to her.

"I'm not going to hurt you. You don't need to protect your heart from me", she said gently.

He simply looked down at the hat in his hands before putting it on his head and walking out the door.

* * *

"You look like you're going riding. Does that mean things are better between you and Jack?", Abigail asked a few days later as she walked into the parlor and saw Elizabeth lacing up her boots.

"No. He's still being distant. I'm going by myself."

"Is it any better?"

"Well, on Monday he apologized. On Tuesday he said hello to me in the street. By Thursday he was okay staying in the same room as me. And yesterday, we actually had a nice little talk."

"Talk? About what?"

"The weather." Elizabeth gave Abigail with a weak smile.

Abigail smiled as she began folding clean napkins from her laundry basket. "Just give him time. He'll get there."

* * *

Jack sat at the Café table nursing the mug of coffee he held between his hands. The empty lunch plate was off to the side. He had eaten but couldn't remember what it had been. He hadn't cared.

"I'm glad you liked it", Abigail said as she picked up his plate. "Would you like some dessert?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks, Abigail."

"How about some more coffee?"

"No, thanks. I should get back to work."

"Before you do, can you do me a favor? I don't know exactly what's going on between you and Elizabeth, but can you go look for her? As a friend or as a constable. Nothing more. She went out riding and isn't back yet."

"Riding? By herself?" Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"She wanted to practice. She's been gone over an hour. I'm sure she's fine. But I would feel better if you checked on her."

* * *

Jack had been riding ten minutes when he saw Elizabeth trotting in his direction near one of the recent logging sites. _Keep your heels down._ _Gently rise up and down with the rhythm of the horse,_ he silently instructed her.

He couldn't help a smile from forming on his lips as he watched her. She was getting there. Slowly but surely she was learning to ride.

The thought had been only in his mind for a second when he saw them.

The logs. They lay in the grass. Most likely they had fallen from a sawmill wagon as it left the nearby logging site.

 _No. Slow down. Don't try to jump it. Don't let the horse jump it! Don't let the horse jump!_

"No!" The sound escaped from Jack's voice as he kicked his horse in the flanks and galloped towards her fallen body.

* * *

Jack sat on the parlor couch, his head in his hands. Every so often, his shoulders would shake despite the warmth of the room. His hair was messy due to his nervous fingers having run through it. His face was unnaturally white, as if the blood had drained from it when he had seen Elizabeth injured.

He had held her in his arms as he rode them back to town. Not caring that her blood was staining his clothes. When he gently lowered her down from the saddle and held her across his arms, she had weakly argued with him to let her walk. Her obstinate personality was no match for his, and he had sternly overridden her demands and carried her inside.

Now Jack sat alone with his thoughts while the doctor finished tending to Elizabeth in her bedroom.

Abigail paused in the parlor as she carried a pot of warm clean water upstairs. She didn't understand Jack's overwhelming sense of dread, but her motherly heart ached when she saw him sitting pitifully on the couch.

He looked like he already knew what was coming. Like he had been here before.

Like his world was about to come crashing down.

* * *

"Jack, there was a lot of blood because head wounds tend to bleed profusely. That's why there was so much that got on her blouse."

 _There was a lot of blood because head wounds tend to bleed profusely. Obviously you saw it all over his uniform._

"I stitched her up."

 _I stitched him up as best as I could but the wound was pretty bad._

"Head trauma can be serious _._ We need to watch to make sure she's not dizzy when she gets up."

 _Head trauma can be serious_. _We need to watch to make sure he's not dizzy if he wakes up._

"Elizabeth needs her rest."

 _Your father needs his rest._

"Constable Thornton?"

 _I'm sorry. His trauma was too severe. It's time to say goodbye._

"Jack?"

 _Jack, Tom. Boys, wipe your tears and go kiss your father goodbye_.

"Jack?"

 _I know he promised to stay with you. But he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried. Yes, I promise that he tried. He loved you boys more than anything. Dry your eyes. Jack, you're the man of the family now._

"Jack! Have you heard a word I said? Elizabeth is going to be fine. She's got a headache but she's going to be fine."

A confused Jack looked up at the doctor who was standing in front of him, talking to him. "What?"

"I asked if you heard what I said? Elizabeth's going to be fine."

"She's going to be fine? Are you sure? There was a lot of blood. And she seemed pretty dazed."

"She's pretty dazed because she hit her head. And there was a lot of blood because that's what head wounds do. If you had been listening to me rather than letting your mind drift off to who-knows-where, you wouldn't be so worried. Do you want to see her?"

Jack shook his head. "No. No. That's okay."

He glanced at the staircase, almost regretfully, and then turned and walked out the door.

* * *

Elizabeth finished a hearty breakfast the next morning and realized that she had been practically ravenous after skipping dinner after yesterday's injury. Her head hurt a bit but it was much better than last evening.

She took a last look in the mirror and winced slightly when she touched the side of head and felt the ten stitches.

Deciding against wearing a hat, Elizabeth closed the front door behind her and headed towards the jailhouse to thank Jack for bringing her back to town after her fall.

Despite Jack's earlier declaration that they were just friends, Elizabeth had seen how worried he had been when he lifted her off the ground.

She had heard his quiet pleading when he held her in his arms as they rode to town, and he had whispered "Promise me you'll be okay" softly into her ear.

* * *

The jailhouse door was unlocked and she didn't bother to knock as she turned the knob and walked inside. Elizabeth frowned when she saw that the room was empty. She had hoped to see him before he went on his morning rounds. Now she'd have to wait until school ended for the day.

She paused as she started to walk out of the building. Something was off. Something wasn't right. Turning back around, she looked at his simple wooden desk. The top surface, which was always neat but usually contained a pad of paper, the Mountie regulations, or the day's mail, was empty except for a small envelope.

Jack's desk nameplate was missing.

Elizabeth approached the desk and curiously picked up the envelope. Her name was written on the front of it in Jack's handwriting. It was obviously meant for her. But why would he leave it here instead of delivering it? Maybe he meant to give it to her later? She wondered if it were an invitation to dinner perhaps.

With a shrug, Elizabeth opened the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper. She read the four simple sentences. And then read them again. And then again.

Elizabeth frantically pulled open the top right desk drawer.

Jack's sketchpad, his drawing pencils, his letters from his mother, they were all gone.

She jerked open the other drawers. Not caring that she was yanking them too hard.

They were empty of all his personal belongings.

Whipping her head around, Elizabeth looked at the jail cell. The cot was missing its blanket. The small table was empty of the picture frame that Jack normally kept there.

It was as if Jack had never been there.

He was gone.

* * *

Jack had come to Coal Valley with one Achilles heel. He left with a second one. Elizabeth Thatcher.

The young constable rode silently across the valleys and waded through the streams. He took his horse down into steep rocky canyons, and climbed hills of lush grass that gave way to forests. He lay in his tent at night while the rain pelted the canvas. He let the sun warm him while he traveled for days to his new duty station.

And all the time, he thought of only one thing.

How his heart had plummeted when Elizabeth had been injured.

If she could do that do him after only two kisses and just a few months of knowing each other, he didn't want to imagine the pain he would face if they had been together longer.

He liked to believe that he was not afraid to face his fears.

But he was afraid. He was afraid that loving Elizabeth could destroy one of them.

It would be better for everyone if he never saw her again.

Better to leave now before they totally gave their hearts to each other.

 **Up next: Chapter 8**


	8. Chapter 8 - The Letter

**Chapter 8 – The Letter**

"Elizabeth, some of the mothers have asked me to talk to you."

"What about?" Elizabeth asked in surprise as she looked up from her journal and saw Abigail walk into the parlor.

Abigail took a deep sigh and tried to hide her sympathetic frustration with Elizabeth before speaking.

"There's the matter of your vocabulary list for this week."

"My vocabulary list? What about it?"

"Let's see. Melancholy, downhearted, despondent, gloomy, confused, baffled, perplexed," Abigail said with raised eyebrows as she read from the paper in her hand.

"They're all perfectly good vocabulary words!" Elizabeth argued defensively.

"There's also the matter of the reading assignment. For goodness sakes, you have them reading Romeo and Juliet!"

"Romeo and Juliet is a classic Shakespearean play! What is wrong with that?"

"You and Jack are not Romeo and Juliet!"

Abigail immediately regretted her words as Elizabeth ran from the room in tears.

* * *

"Elizabeth, it's been two weeks", Abigail said as she set a cup of tea in front of Elizabeth, who was sitting sadly at the kitchen table after breakfast one morning.

"I know. I'm getting over him. . . . It's just . . . It's just I can't stop thinking about him."

"That would actually indicate that you are _not_ getting over him", Abigail pointed out.

"What if he is meeting someone else? What if he's injured? Maybe's he's hurt and lost somewhere out there."

Abigail placed her hands on Elizabeth's shoulders and gave her a quick hug. "He hasn't met anyone new. He isn't injured. He is not hurt and lost somewhere out there. He's at his new duty posting. He explained in his note that he received his new assignment."

A downcast Elizabeth stared into her teacup. "I know. I just need to stop thinking about him."

"That's probably a good idea. Why don't you help me bake some muffins for later?"

Elizabeth nodded and stood up from the table. "You're right. He left. He was just a friend and he left."

Elizabeth picked up the small tin can which was on the kitchen counter and stared at the red-lettered words on the paper label.

Tears began running down her face and she set the can back down on the counter to wipe her eyes.

"It's baking powder," she said with a sob when Abigail gave her a perplexed look. "It reminds me of Jack. He teased me about always getting baking powder and baking soda mixed up with each other."

Abigail gave a frustrated sigh as she watched Elizabeth hurry out of the room in tears.

* * *

"I heard that one of the sawmill workers asked you to a picnic lunch tomorrow after Church."

"He did." Elizabeth, with her sleeves rolled up over her elbows, picked up another dirty dish and dunked it into the sink full of water.

"And I heard you said no", Abigail noted casually as she returned a bottle of milk to the icebox and continued cleaning up the kitchen, carrying more dishes to the sink.

"I did. Picnics remind me of Jack."

"I also heard that another gentleman asked you if you wanted to go riding."

"He did. But I said no. Riding reminds me of Jack."

Abigail watched as tears started flowing down Elizabeth's cheeks and dripping into the sink, mingling with the dirty dishwater.

"Oh, dear. Elizabeth, it's been three weeks. You need to stop crying."

"I can't. I think I love him", she sobbed.

* * *

"Elizabeth, it's been almost a month and the students have come up with another name for you. I know they're just children, but well, it probably isn't appropriate for them to be so aware of your situation."

Elizabeth sighed. "What are they calling me now?"

"In addition to Tearful Teacher, they're calling you Sobbing Schoolmarm."

* * *

"I wrote to his mother", Elizabeth said as she took off her hat and hung it on the hook by the door.

"What do you know about her?"

"Not a lot. But I thought maybe she knows where Jack is, and maybe she'll volunteer some information which will help me understand why he left without saying goodbye."

"He did leave you a note", Abigail reminded her.

"A note which said that he was glad I was going to be okay and that he would always consider me a good friend", Elizabeth said angrily. "I think after we shared kisses and so much time together, I deserve more than that."

"He's a grown man. He may not have confided in his mother. Even if he has, do you think his mother will be willing to divulge that information to you? She doesn't even know you."

"Oh, God. You're probably right. She'll think I'm just being nosy!", Elizabeth said as she grabbed her hat and opened the front door.

"Where are you going?" Abigail called out.

"To get my letter back before the mail wagon leaves!"

* * *

Elizabeth was too late. As she hurried down the street, she saw the rear of the mail wagon, carrying a mailbag with her letter to Charlotte Thornton safely tucked inside. The moving wheels caused dust to billow in the air until the wagon was no longer in sight.

* * *

Charlotte Thornton's letter to Elizabeth arrived six weeks after Jack had left Coal Valley.

When the postman handed the thick white envelope to Elizabeth, she anxiously held it in her hands. Wondering if she had done the right thing by writing to the woman.

Elizabeth's eyes welled with tears even before she had finished reading the first page and she had to stop and get her handkerchief. She sniffled as she turned the page over and continued reading the feminine and perfect penmanship of the fellow teacher. The other woman who loved Jack.

By the time Elizabeth finished the reading the second page, she had to wipe her eyes to see the words more clearly and had to hold the page at a distance so that her tears wouldn't smudge the ink.

Abigail found Elizabeth sobbing on her bed, and she sat next to her, wrapping her arms around the tearful woman.

"His father died from a head trauma. And his mother never found love again", she said with a sniffle. "She thinks Jack's afraid of doing that to me one day."

Elizabeth wiped her eyes and blew her nose into her handkerchief. "I love him and he just wants to protect me."

* * *

Elizabeth gasped when she read page four. Charlotte Thornton wasn't vulgar but her description of Jack finding his fiancé with his brother caused Elizabeth's eyes to widen and a word she had never spoken aloud slipped out of her lips. "That bitch!"

"How could she and Tom do that to my poor Jack?!"

* * *

When Elizabeth finished reading page six, she stood up and scowled. Grabbing her shawl, a determined Elizabeth stomped out of her house and down the street.

"Is it true?! You were going to go back on your word? You weren't going to renew their leases even though we ladies all cleared the mine shaft."

Mr. Gowen looked bored as he sat at his desk staring at an irate Elizabeth. "It was a business matter. Nothing more."

"And you let Jack pay the leases?! For six months? For every widow?! You took his money?!"

Mr. Gowen eyed Elizabeth coldly. "He took _my_ money. He was a better poker player than I imagined."

"And yet you took the credit. You let us think that you were a man of your word," Elizabeth said in disgust.

"Miss Thatcher, the leases were renewed months ago. I really see no reason to discuss this with you any further." Mr. Gowen said dismissively as he motioned to the door.

* * *

"He wanted to let us widows feel like we were back in control of our lives", Abigail said with heartfelt understanding after Elizabeth explained what Charlotte had written. The two women sat on the parlor couch and looked around the small and tidy home.

"I don't understand. Why didn't he tell us that he paid the rent? Everyone would have been so grateful."

"Because he understood us. He understood what we needed. After the mine explosion, it was like we had lost control over our own lives. Our husbands were gone. Our sons were gone. We had no control over when, or even if, their bodies would be found. It was like our lives were spiraling out of control. Getting to keep our houses because of our work in the mines. . . it was like we had turned a corner. We were taking back our lives. If Gowen hadn't held up his end of the deal, it would be like we still had no control. Jack, bless his heart, he understood that. He didn't want to take that away from us. He let us think that we had earned back our homes. That we were in control."

"He's perfect. He's absolutely perfect", Elizabeth sniffled as she went upstairs to finish reading Charlotte's letter. "Absolutely perfect."

* * *

Abigail jumped when she heard the sound of the glass breaking as it was thrown against Elizabeth's bedroom wall.

Hurrying upstairs, she stopped in the doorway and flinched as Elizabeth hurled her hairbrush across the room and then picked up a book from her bed and threw it at the wall while screaming in anger. A drinking glass lay shattered on the floor as water spread across the wooden planks.

"The bastard!"

"What it God's name happened?! What did the rest of the letter say?" Abigail asked as she looked around the room, which was now scattered with books, pillows, shards of glass, a hairbrush, and a turned over chair.

"He used me! He was here to seduce me!" Elizabeth screamed angrily.

* * *

Abigail was worn out by the time she managed to calm down Elizabeth enough to get the whole story.

"Oh, dear. So that's why he was so guarded at times."

"So guarded?! He'll need a guard to keep me from killing him! I'll kill him! If I ever see him again, he'd better run as fast as his cowardly little legs can carry him!"

When Abigail saw the coldness in Elizabeth's narrowed eyes, she carefully pried the oil lamp from her friend's hands and set it on the dresser. Out of the irate woman's reach.

"Now, Elizabeth. Please calm down. I can't afford all this damage."

"I'll pay for it. I have the money. Of course I have money! That's why Jack wanted to seduce me. For my money!" Elizabeth screamed with renewed anger. "Because all I'm good for is my money and his stupid insensitive vulgar scheme!"

"It does seem pretty bad", Abigail agreed with a frown.

"His mother said he's been with tons of women! He's nothing but an arrogant tramp. Walking around in his uniform. With those strong arms of his. Looking handsome with those damn dimples!"

Elizabeth, with her hair a tousled mess and her face red with anger, sat back on the bed and huffed before continuing, "And those stupid blue eyes of his!"

"He told you that he had kissed lots of women. He was honest about that."

"Oh, that snake did a whole lot more than kissing."

"But Elizabeth, there's something I don't understand."

"How I could be so stupidly naïve?!" Elizabeth retorted in a fury.

"No. No that."

"How he could be such an obnoxious cad?"

"Actually, I was wondering why he left."

When Elizabeth stared at Abigail in puzzlement, Abigail continued.

"You were falling in love with him. He got what he came for. So why did he leave? Why didn't he finish seducing you?"

Elizabeth wiped the sweat from her brow and picked up the letter, hugging it to her chest. Her eyes welled up with tears and her body started to quiver.

"Elizabeth, why did he run away from you?"

Elizabeth began sobbing.

Tears rolled down her already red cheeks, and her shoulders shuddered. "Because . . . because he loves me", she managed to say as she gulped for air between her sobs. "He loves me."

Abigail reached her arms around Elizabeth, hugging the weeping woman and letting her tears soak Abigail's blouse. Abigail stroked the young woman's back as she spoke.

"Well that was obvious to everyone. I guess he finally realized it himself. The poor boy."

 **Up next: Chapter 9**


	9. Chapter 9- A Love Story

**Chapter 9 – A Love Story**

"Did a good night's sleep help?"

"It did. I feel much better. Those pancakes smell delicious, Abigail."

"Get yourself some coffee and have a seat. I'll make you some."

Abigail eyed her warily as Elizabeth filled a cup with coffee from the large metal urn and then took a seat at the kitchen table. She did seem much better. Calm, not the least bit agitated. Actually in a pleasant mood.

"Are you going to be okay today?" Abigail asked with concern in her voice as she flipped a pancake and watched Elizabeth out of the corner of her eye.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Abigail gave Elizabeth a knowing look. "Because there's a certain Mountie that has been occupying your thoughts and had you crying for hours yesterday."

"I hate him." Elizabeth responded casually. "I'm not going to give that despicable scum another thought. He isn't worthy of my time. My father would kill him if he knew what Jack had planned."

"Well, I think you're right then to just put him out of your head."

"I am never thinking about him again. The gall of him trying to seduce me. I am done with that scheming lowlife. Let's eat."

Elizabeth reached for the creamer and poured some of its contents into her cup. Picking up her spoon, she slowly stirred the ivory colored liquid into the black coffee. Swirling the colors together until there was no longer a distinction between the two but they had melded into one beautiful brown.

"Jack likes cream in his coffee sometimes", she said pensively. "Of course, he can't have cream when he travels because it wouldn't keep. But he drinks it sometimes with cream when he's in town. He especially likes coffee when he has to camp out overnight. It's good that he can have a nice cup to warm him up. I wonder if he gets terribly cold in the wintertime when he has to travel by horse."

"Elizabeth! It's been five seconds!" Abigail said in exasperation.

"Sorry. It won't happen again. I'm not giving him another thought. I hate him."

* * *

Three days later, Abigail looked up as Elizabeth came into the kitchen for breakfast, and quickly went to get the other woman a cup of tea. After the fiasco earlier in the week with the coffee reminding Elizabeth of Jack, Abigail had decided tea was a safer breakfast drink.

"Thanks, Abigail. Is this toast for me?" Elizabeth asked as she took the slice of browned bread from the toaster and brought it over to the table.

"It is. Good Morning. You're in a hurry today."

"Today is book report day. I'm excited to hear from the class. I had each student select a book from that crate my father sent. They could choose whatever they wanted, so it's going to be interesting to hear what they read and if they liked it."

"Have fun."

* * *

"Sally Ann, why don't you go first?" Elizabeth asked as she looked at the roomful of students.

"I read William Shakespeare's "A Winter's Tale." It was kind of complicated with a lot of characters with confusing names but I think the theme was about forgiveness and romantic love. All about how true love overcomes lots and lots and lots of obstacles. It begins -"

"Sally Ann, why don't we stop there. You can turn in your written report. Let's hear from some of the other students."

Sally Ann looked puzzled at the interruption but carried the pages of her report to Elizabeth's desk and then sat back in her own seat.

"Judith."

The thirteen year old girl stood up, straightened her skirt, and began speaking. "I read Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman". It's by Oscar Wilde. I thought it was going to be about a fan, but it wasn't. Until the end when the fan is important. The theme was love and how the man protects the woman he loves by keeping a secret from her. But she gets mad at him. But he's just trying to protect her even if it means that she hates him. Although she really loves him. She's just mad at him."

Elizabeth stared at Judith with wide eyes and then shook her head slightly as the girl carried her paper to Elizabeth's desk and then sat back down.

"Marcus, can you please stand up and tell us what you read?"

"I read "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" by Hans Christian Anderson. I picked it because I like soldiers and battles. I thought it was going to be about a soldier fighting with swords and guns. But it was stupid. This damaged solider falls in love with a beautiful paper ballerina. And they die together in the end."

"Class dismissed", Elizabeth said feebly as she rang the bell on her desk.

* * *

"Elizabeth, the mothers said you dismissed class early this morning. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just had a headache", Elizabeth, sitting on the parlor couch, responded as she looked up from her journal.

"Wrong body part."

"Excuse me?"

"Your eyes are red and puffy so I'm guessing it was a heartache and not a headache."

"You don't understand, Abigail", Elizabeth explained as she wiped her eyes. "Everything reminds me of him. All the reports seemed to be about us. And Marcus read the "The Steadfast Tin Soldier -."

"For Pete's sake, Elizabeth! You have to snap out of it. Jack has been gone for almost two months. He is not a tin soldier and you are not a paper ballerina!"

Abigail watched in frustration as Elizabeth closed her journal and hurried from the room.

* * *

"Elizabeth, dinner's ready. Are you coming down?", Abigail asked gently as she peeked her head into Elizabeth's room.

Elizabeth, her cheeks stained with tears, lay on her bed.

"Do you think that he's thinking about me?" she asked quietly as she remained lying on her stomach, her head on the mattress, and sniffled.

"I'm sure that he is."

"Do you think he's coming back?"

Abigail looked at the pitiful Elizabeth and sighed before speaking gently.

"No, Elizabeth. I'm so sorry. But I don't think he's coming back."

"Why not?" Her sad voice was barely above a whisper.

"Because he doesn't think he deserves you."

Elizabeth sat up and dried her eyes with a pulled-up part of her quilt.

"Before he left, when he wanted to be just friends, I told him that I liked him. But the truth is that I was falling in love with him. Sometimes when our hands accidentally brushed against each others, or when he caught me when I was being clumsy, I just wanted him to keep holding me. When we went walking, I was always secretly glad when we came to the creek because he would take my hand and help me cross on the rocks."

Abigail put her arm around Elizabeth and let her keep talking.

"He made me feel like he respected me. Even when he teased me about my riding or my cooking, which he did a lot, I knew he was proud of me for coming to Coal Valley by myself, and being a teacher, and trying new things. He liked that I wanted to do something with my life instead of just being a socialite. He always thought the best of me. He made me feel special. And that wasn't part of a seduction plan. It was because he was falling in love with me. . . But you're right. He's not coming back, is he?"

Abigail remained quiet as she sat next to Elizabeth. There was no reason to reinforce her opinion that Jack was out of their lives.

"What do you think he's doing right now?" Elizabeth asked sadly as she looked at Abigail.

"I have no idea."

* * *

Jack ducked as the first punch was thrown his way but the second one hit him square in the jaw. It was hard enough fighting one drunk but fighting two, when one of them weighed over 250 pounds, was going to leave him feeling pain in the morning. If he managed to live that long.

Whiskey and beer bottles littered the floor of the dimly lit bar as the sordid crowd screamed and hurled insults, fists, and anything that wasn't too heavy to lift.

As Jack grabbed a man by the collar and held him steady before punching him the eye, he thought for the third time that night that he probably should have just stayed home.

But he didn't want to be alone in his bed. Because then he would just think about Elizabeth.

Jack felt himself being pulled back and he stumbled on his feet until he was able to grab onto the bar counter and steady himself. Before he had time to react, a burly man who reeked of cheap beer and cigarettes, grabbed a wooden chair and began swinging.

As Jack's side was pounded by the wood, he realized that a few broken ribs were less painful than thinking of Elizabeth.

 **Up next: Chapter 10.**

 **Dear Readers, Some of you have mentioned that you were initially unsure of continuing to read this story after reading Chapter 1 because Jack was not portrayed the same way as in the series. Thank you for sticking with it! I especially appreciate the reviews because they have given me ideas and motivation. There's just one chapter left.**


	10. Chapter 10 - Turning Tables

**Chapter 10 – Turning Tables**

Jack winced as he sat at his desk. _Last night was not exactly what the doctor ordered_ , he thought wryly.

 _In fact, he specifically told me not to do anything physical_.

Jack's ribs had barely healed from the bar fight two weeks earlier and he had gone and exerted himself too much last night.

"Hey, Jack. Quite the exciting night last night," a fellow Mountie called out as he walked past Jack's desk.

"Yeah, I guess." Jack smiled and stood up to stretch his aching muscles as several more Mounties walked into the office for their shift changes.

"Heard about you and the mayor's daughter. Wow, Jack. How the heck are any of us supposed to compete with you? The mayor's daughter!" another constable asked in awe.

"It's not a competition", Jack laughed.

Jack walked over to the nearby counter and refilled his cup of coffee as the other men continued to talk.

"Way to go last night, Jack. Why am I not surprised?"

"I heard it was pretty intense. That you could barely get away from her because she was gripping you so hard afterwards"

"You must be sore today. I'm surprised you even made it out of bed."

"You're our hero, Jack."

"Enough guys", Jack said with a chuckle as he sat back down. "Don't you have work to get to."

* * *

Elizabeth walked slowly down the street carrying the four envelopes in her hand. She had given up on getting a letter from Jack. It had been almost three months and she hadn't received one word from him. All Elizabeth knew was that Jack was gone and he hadn't told Elizabeth where he had moved. Even Charlotte hadn't told her of the location of Jack's new assignment.

Elizabeth recognized Charles' handwriting on the outside of the thin ivory-colored envelope. She would wait to read it until last. It was probably him just once again apologizing for proposing by correspondence, and asking if he could visit.

The letters from her mother and from Julie were probably more of the usual. Her mother informing her of another teaching position closer to home and Julie gossiping about the latest going-ons in Hamilton.

It was the fourth envelope that interested Elizabeth the most.

* * *

"Anything interesting?" Abigail asked when Elizabeth walked in the house, set down her basket, and walked slowly to the couch, staring at the brown envelope.

"It came. My response. I'm afraid to open it."

"Elizabeth, you already know everything else about Jack. All that's left is for you to know where he's stationed."

"But what do I do when I find out?" Elizabeth asked worriedly.

"Then you have a decision to make."

"Do you –", Elizabeth hesitated. It was the same question she had asked almost every day since Jack left.

"Yes, Elizabeth. I think Jack is still thinking about you no matter where he is", Abigail said gently.

"What if he's gone back to his old ways? The drinking and women?"

"Well, then maybe he's not the man we thought he was."

"What do you think?"

"I think I have never seen a man more hurt and worried and in love than Jack was when he sat on this couch wondering if you were going to be okay after your head injury."

"I trust him, Abigail. I know what's in my heart", Elizabeth said as she picked up the metal letter opener from her desk and began to slice open the envelope.

* * *

"Constable Thornton, the Mayor is here to see you."

"The mayor? Here?" Jack, with a rag in his hand, stopped polishing his boots and looked up in surprise at the Sergeant who had entered the room.

"Yeah. He found out you were the one with his daughter the other night. He wants to talk to you. Hurry up and get downstairs."

"Sergeant, can you play interference for me? Maybe I can slip out the back stairs."

The other Mountie laughed. "Sorry, Jack. You need to face this one yourself."

The man started to walk away and then paused. "You know Jack, you're a better guy than you give yourself credit. I know what you do with your poker winnings, and I know how you've taken some of the newer and more green Mounties under your wing. You're a good guy. Maybe it's time you start allowing yourself to believe it."

"What makes you think I don't?"

"Since you've gotten here, you take extra shifts, you work harder than anyone, and you never complain even when you've gotten your face punched in more than once. It's obvious that you're punishing yourself for something."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Jack and the Mayor shook hands after a discussion behind closed doors about the Mayor's daughter and Jack's actions.

Jack had done most of the listening while the Mayor had talked about family, love, and duty. He spoke of the burdens and worries that go along with being a husband and father. The unknowns about how life will turn out. The fear of someone you love being hurt. The joy that makes it all worth it.

Jack was slightly taken aback when the older man hugged him and said that he now considered Jack to be like a member of the family.

After the man's frank discussion, Jack wasn't thinking at all about the Mayor's daughter and how much the man loved her. All Jack could think about was Elizabeth.

About how she would make a wonderful wife and mother. How he would have liked to have had a family with her one day.

He wondered if maybe he should have given it a chance. Maybe Elizabeth would have been okay being married to a Mountie. Maybe he needed to get over his fears of losing someone. Maybe they could have faced every challenge together. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

 _It's too late now. She'd never forgive me for trying to seduce her._

* * *

"Charles keeps pestering me to reconsider my decision and marry him. My parents want me to move back to Hamilton or at least closer to them. Jack wants me to forget about him. He's too ashamed and scared to come for me. And Hope Valley holds too many memories of Jack. I can't keep going on like this", Elizabeth complained as she and Abigail walked down the street on their way back from the mercantile.

"What do you want, Elizabeth? You're a grown woman."

Elizabeth stopped in the middle of the street and looked determinedly at Abigail.

"I want to take back control of my life."

* * *

"You got plans for Saturday night, Jack?" Constable Walters asked as he stopped by Jack's desk.

"Just going out with some of the guys. What's up?" Jack eyed the other man. Although they had been to the academy at the same time, they hadn't socialized together. While Jack had been busy with the ladies, drinking, and card games, Walters, who was slightly overweight and plain looking, had been more of a book reader.

"Can you take my shift for me? I've got a date."

Jack leaned back in his chair and gave Walters an amused look. "With whom?"

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"Why would I laugh?" Jack asked with a smile

"The other guys did."

"Who is she?"

"Mary from the corner baker."

"I know who your mean. She's real nice. Do you like her?"

"Yeah, I do. But the other guys laugh at me because she's not like the girls that the guys around here usually date."

"You mean fast and loose?" Jack asked wryly.

"Yeah. You know. Like the ones you always hung out with at the academy. You had more women than any of the guys."

"Don't remind me. And if the guys laughed at you it's because they're jealous or stupid."

"Why would they be jealous of me? We've been on three dates and I haven't even kissed her yet," Walters said woefully.

Jack chuckled. "I'll take your shift. Treat her right. She seems sweet. And ignore the other guys. If they give you any more hassle send them to me. I'll beat them up for you."

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever been in love?"

"I have." Jack turned back to his paperwork, indicating that the conversation was over.

"Lots of times probably", Walters remarked.

Walters didn't take the hint to leave and instead stood looking at Jack who continued staring at the papers on his desk.

"No. Just once", Jack finally answered.

"What was her name?"

"What's this about, Walters?", Jack said curtly. He put down his pencil again and looked at the other Mountie.

"I'm just wondering how I'll know if Mary's the one. How I'll know if it's love."

"You'll know", Jack said simply.

"How?"

"You'll just know."

"So what was her name? The one girl you loved."

Jack paused. Although her name was always in his mind, he hadn't said it aloud in months.

"Elizabeth. Now get out of here before I decide not to cover your shift and I take Mary on that date myself."

* * *

Montreal was far more congested than Hamilton and it made sleepily little Hope Valley seem like a ghost town.

Elizabeth had been to Montreal before but always with her parents and never before had she stayed at the Ritz Carleton, which had only opened for business the previous month. When Elizabeth learned that every room at the hotel had its own private bathroom, she had decided immediately that she would stay there.

It was bad enough to be a single lady traveling alone in a large city. She was not about to share a bathroom with other hotel guests. She may have been brave to travel by herself but she wasn't brave enough to get up in the middle of the night in her nightdress in a strange hotel to use a shared bathroom down the hall. It was the exclusive Ritz Carleton for her.

* * *

The first thing Jack noticed was the hat off in the distance. A woman, her attractive figure dressed in pale green and white, was wearing a wide brimmed hat with a tall ostrich feather which rose high above the other people on the crowded street. It reminded him of a large ornate hat which Elizabeth had once worn on one of their many walks together. At the time, he had teased her about it being too fancy for Hope Valley, but he suspected that she knew that he secretly found it very enticing.

The woman, who was moving away from Jack, walked with a familiar gait. A sway of the hips that was not overtly sexual, but was ladylike and demure.

Her walk was evidence of her mother's years of instilling proper posture by making the young lady, while balancing a book on her head, walk across the parlor over and over again until the head was held up perfectly. She was so poised that an invisible straight line could be drawn through the body.

As the woman walked into the newly opened Ritz Carleton hotel, Jack thought he recognized the walk.

But it couldn't be Elizabeth. She was hundreds of miles away in Hope Valley.

 _Just my mind wishing it was her._

* * *

An hour later, Elizabeth sat on the leather seat of the streetcar as it traveled swiftly down the crowded boulevard. She wondered in amazement how the automobiles and horse drawn carriages managed to narrowly avoid being hit as they darted across the metal tracks in the center of the road.

As Elizabeth stared out the window, she barely heard the snippets of conversation around her as the passengers on the crowded streetcar spoke to their companions.

 _. . . Meat prices on the rise again, so we're having fish again tonight. . . ._

 _. . . This weather is so nice, I think we should go for a picnic tomorrow . . ._

 _. . fell down an old well in the park. It took hours until she was found and rescued. It made the front page of the city newspaper earlier this week. Thank goodness she made it out alive. The whole rescue was quite dangerous. . ._

 _. . . the contracts need to be signed by tomorrow and sent to New York. If they're late, I'm going to have to fire some workers. . ._

 _. . . I told my husband not to expect clean laundry if he wasn't going to buy me the new dress I wanted and he said . . . ._

Elizabeth ignored the other passengers and their daily problems. All she could think about was Jack. She had only known him a few months and yet she felt like he knew her better than anyone.

* * *

The letter with the box of cookies from Charlotte Thornton arrived on a Wednesday morning. Jack thought it was a little unusual to get another letter from his mother so soon after the one he had received over the weekend, but he assumed she was just overly concerned with him after his visit to Aberdeen.

He dumped the uneaten box of cookies into the trashcan and sat down on the edge of his desk to read his mother's latest words.

For four pages, she wrote about taking chances in life and missed opportunities. She never once mentioned Elizabeth's name, but when Jack put down the pages, all he could think about was Elizabeth.

* * *

Elizabeth carefully stepped down from the trolley and glanced at the street signs and then at the address on the piece of paper in her hand.

She took a deep breath.

 _Here goes. My whole future depends on the next few minutes._

 _It's time to take control of my life._

 _To go for what I want. Not what everyone wants for me._

* * *

"Jack, there's someone to see you. At the front desk" the Sergeant said as he stuck his head in the doorway and then walked away.

"Okay. I'll be right there."

Jack reached for his uniform jacket and casually put it on, taking his time with the many buttons, before walking into the front office.

"Elizabeth!" Jack was dumbstruck. For the second time that week he was saying her name aloud.

"Hello, Jack", she said with a pleasant smile.

"What are you doing here? Are you alright?" he asked as he walked around the counter to her.

Without thinking, he put his hand on her arm. When she looked down at his hand, he felt awkward and started to remove it, wondering if she was offended by his touch. But she merely looked at him and smiled.

"It looks like I'm doing better than you", she replied as she looked at his face.

Jack reached up his hand and touched the bruised cut on his face. "Oh, this is nothing", he said dismissively.

"What happened?"

"Just work. It's not a big deal."

"Why were you walking stiffly?"

"Couple broken ribs that were almost healed until I re-injured them."

"Oh, Jack", she lamented tenderly.

"It's not bad. I helped break up a bar fight awhile back when I was working an extra shift. It's fine. They just got a little re-injured the other night when I was on duty", he said dismissively.

"But what are you doing here?" he asked worriedly.

"Can we go somewhere private to talk?"

* * *

"I'm sorry, it's nothing fancy", Jack said as he looked around.

"Do you want to go to a restaurant? A café? The park?" he added quickly. _Idiot. She doesn't want to talk in an interrogation room! Why did you bring her back here?!_

"No, this is fine. Really."

They looked at each other, waiting for the other one to speak first. _I've got a banged-up body and I brought her to a stupid interrogation room. She must think I'm such a loser._

"Do you want to sit down?" Jack asked with concern as he pulled out a chair which had been pushed under the simple wooden table.

"Can I get you a cup of coffee? - No, you prefer tea. A cup of tea?" he asked nervously.

Elizabeth gave her head a slight shake indicating no to all of his questions.

"You didn't say goodbye", she said simply as she stood across the room.

"I'm sorry. It was quick. My leaving. I got the notice and I had to go. You were doing better. I left you a note. You got it, right?" he asked hesitantly.

"I did."

There was a pause as they looked at each other.

 _She's even prettier than I remember_.

"You didn't write. You said in your note that you would write. But you haven't", Elizabeth said when she noticed Jack simply staring at her.

"I'm sorry. I've been busy. You know, work here. Montreal's a busy place."

"Are you doing okay? Place to live? Eating okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I live here at the barracks. Upstairs. There's a bunk room for us. Lots of men here so it's a big difference from living at the jailhouse back home. I mean back in Hope Valley", he corrected himself.

"It was your home."

"Yeah, but not anymore. But it's still your home, right? Did you move?" Jack looked at her in surprise.

 _Why would she move in the middle of the school year? Did she marry Charles? God, please no. Please not that._

"No, I didn't move. I'm just here in Montreal for a week."

Jack felt an overwhelming sense of relief that she hadn't married anyone else, but it was almost immediately replaced by confusion as to why the woman he hadn't been able to stop thinking about was standing in the interrogation room of the Montreal Royal Mountie Police Headquarters.

"Vacation? Visiting family? Friends?" he asked.

 _She's still got those adorable curls._ _The hat! So it was her I saw earlier in the hat._

"I'm not here on vacation. I actually have business here in Montreal. An interest that I haven't been able to handle from Hope Valley. And my family won't be able to be of any help. I was hoping that you could possibly help me."

"Of course, Elizabeth. We're friends. But you came all this way? Isn't there anyone else who could help you?"

"I'm afraid you're the only person I could think of. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not! I always want you to be able to count on me as a friend. Whatever you need. But how did you even know I was here?"

"I asked around." Elizabeth took off her hat and placed it on the table. She ran her fingers over her hair as she thought about what to say.

 _She asked about me. To find out where I was stationed._ The thought made his heart race a little faster.

Jack stared at her. She was really here. Just a few feet away. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms. Touch her. Run his fingers through her hair. Touch her lips.

But he didn't. Instead he stood nervously across the room, watching her as she started to pace back and forth across the small room.

"You should have written to let me know you were coming. Or sent a telegram. I would have met you at the train station", he offered helpfully.

"It's kind of a sensitive matter."

"Elizabeth, you can trust me."

"Do I have your word? As a gentleman. That you will cooperate with me. Because I could really use your cooperation. I'm not totally sure how to handle the matter", she asked as she stopped walking to look at him.

"I promise. I will do whatever I can to help you. But you're really beginning to worry me. Tell me. What are you doing here?", he implored.

She held his gaze for a moment and took a deep breath before speaking.

* * *

"I came here to seduce you", she said matter-of-factly.

When Elizabeth saw the surprised and confused look on Jack's face, she walked towards him with a small smile on her lips.

Elizabeth reached up and gently ran her hand long his cheek and jaw. She touched her finger to the place where his dimple would be on his right cheek if only he would smile for her.

They were so close that he could feel her warmth. Smell the faint perfume she was wearing.

"And you just gave me your word that you would cooperate," she whispered as she moved her mouth up towards his.

She very gently touched her lips to his, not wanting to frighten him away with her kiss.

He didn't pull back. Not at first.

Instead, keeping his lips on hers, he took his hand, and with a barely-there touch he placed in on her cheek. She was warm and real and soft.

Better than all his dreams of the last three months.

He allowed his lips to taste hers and moved his hands to her waist to hold her gently. Enjoying having her in his touch, before he willed himself to pull back.

Jack took a deep breath and readied himself to argue with her. To talk her out of what she wanted. Of what he wanted. Of what they both wanted.

"We can't. You don't know why I was assigned to Coal Valley. I – "

"Shhh. I know."

Jack gave her an another startled look. "You –"

"I know. Your mother told me."

"My mother?!" Jack exclaimed in surprise.

"We women have to stick together" Elizabeth said with an unapologetic smile.

"Then why are you here? Why would you want me?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and stood in front of Jack. When she moved her hand to his face again, he didn't pull away.

"Because you make me feel something."

"Something?"

"You make me feel special inside in a way no one else ever has. You make me feel respected and adored and desirable and smart and brave and . . . special. All at the same time. You make me feel wonderful and that I can do anything."

"You are all those things! But -"

"You once called me headstrong. Strong willed. Stubborn", Elizabeth reminded him as she interrupted him before he could say anymore.

"You are."

"Well I'm glad we agree on that. Because I came here for you and I'm not leaving until I have you back or at least until you're honest with me."

"Elizabeth, you can't. I'm sorry", Jack said with a shake of his head as he walked away. "I'm not the man for you."

"Don't you care about me?"

"God, yes. I care so much about you! I should tell you that I don't so you'll turn around and walk away for good, but I can't lie to you. But Elizabeth, just because I care about you doesn't mean that I'm the right man for you."

"And what exactly makes you the wrong man for me?"

"For one thing, I'm a Mountie"

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows at him. "I gathered that from the uniform and the fact that I'm in Mountie Headquarters. Don't forget I'm smart."

Jack huffed and gave her a look of mild exasperation. "Mounties have dangerous jobs."

"I think I also figured that out from looking at your bruised and cut face and the fact that you have a few broken ribs. But guess what, Jack?"

"What?", he said as he crinkled his brow.

"I'm still standing here. . . . For you."

Elizabeth walked over to Jack, cornering him against the wall. He felt like a trapped animal except he didn't want to escape.

Jack looked down for a moment before looking her in the eye and finally telling her the truth.

"I'm damaged. You don't want that."

"You're not damaged. You've had some tough breaks and you've done some things that you're not proud of. But you're not damaged. Don't ever say that."

"What else did my mom tell you?"

"Quite a bit. And I'm still here. I've seen you, Jack. I've walked with you and talked with you. I've seen your heart. I know you're a good man inside. I know you're the man I want to be with."

Jack stared at her. Incredulous that she was standing there. Wanting him.

He wanted to hold her so badly but he held back. Needing to tell her more. Knowing she should probably walk away. That he should let her walk away.

"Why did you leave?" she asked patiently.

He paused and looked out the window for a moment. Steadying his breathing before telling her the truth.

"I'm afraid of losing you. . . . I'm afraid of hurting you", he said gently. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to be hurt."

"I'm still standing here", she declared. "All I care about is how you feel about me. Not what you're worried about. Because that may never happen. How do you feel about me? Tell me. Please."

Jack shook his head, realizing it was hopeless to not tell her.

"I want to be with you. Kiss you. Talk to you. Touch you. Protect you. Experience life with you. Love you", he said, almost regretfully. "Isn't it obvious?"

Elizabeth smiled. "You make this seduction thing very easy."

"You're still standing there? Even after everything you know about me. You're not afraid of us? About how passionate we'll care for each other? About my job as a Mountie? About what I've done?" he said almost in disbelief.

"I'm still standing here", she agreed softly.

"Elizabeth, if I'm with you, I'll never be able to let you go. I know that already. Even though we only met this year, I already know. I have thought about you every single day since I left. I can't stop thinking about you."

"I'm still standing here", she said with a gentle smile. "Waiting for you. I have been waiting for you for the longest time."

Elizabeth held Jack's gaze. Refusing to back down. Slowly a small smile formed on his lips. He knew she would win. He might as well surrender now.

She had come to claim the heart that she had already owned for months.

"You seduced me a long time ago, Elizabeth Thatcher," he admitted as he looked at her with so much warmth and caring that she thought she would melt from the heat. "I love you."

"I love you too", she said quietly. "I would never have come all this way for anyone in the world but you. I know that. Now you promised to help me any way you could. So kiss me again", she whispered.

Jack didn't need to be told twice.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer. Like the time before, their bodies fit together as if they had been carved perfectly for each other. Her delicate form folded in against his strong shoulders as she moved her hands along his back, causing a stirring deep inside both of them.

Every other woman he had ever kissed was forgotten by him.

Every fear he had ever had was pushed aside.

Elizabeth inhaled his clean scent and felt the sexy and faint roughness of his face. She grabbed the fabric of his jacket. Clenching it tight in her hands as her mouth moved with his. Keeping him close to her.

* * *

"Where's Jack? His shift's over. He can clock out."

"He's still in the interrogation room."

"Still? He's been in there for almost an hour. What's going on in there?"

The Mountie behind the front counter shrugged to his supervisor. "No idea. I tried listening at the door, but I couldn't hear any conversation."

* * *

Jack was glad that he hadn't taken Elizabeth to a restaurant, café, or the park. The private interrogation room with its simple table and two chairs was more than they needed.

In fact, they only needed one chair since Elizabeth was sitting comfortably on Jack's lap.

During the past sixty minutes, Jack had tried numerous times to talk to Elizabeth and tell her every bad thing he had ever done so she knew what she was getting herself into, but every time he stopped kissing her, she had the opportunity to see his lips, which just caused her to lean in and kiss him again.

At minute twenty-three, he had actually held her hands tightly in his own, keeping them imprisoned so she would stop distracting him by caressing his neck and shoulders, and he had threatened not to kiss her anymore until she let him apologize again for the way he had treated her and explain why he had been so stupid.

He had gotten partly through his explanation when his voice began to falter as he looked at her quivering lips, her flushed cheeks, the rise and fall of her chest from her rapid breathing. Before he could say anymore, he had passionately seized her mouth with his.

* * *

"Ouch", he winced as Elizabeth shifted on his lap and leaned against him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Jack. Your ribs. I forgot. I'm sorry", she cried out apolgetically.

Jack caught his breath as Elizabeth lowered her head and gently began to unbutton his jacket and then pulled the sides apart.

 _Does she have any idea how sensual that is?!_

He looked at her hair as she took her fingers and lightly ran them along his shirt, feeling the bandages underneath _._ She slipped her hands underneath his suspenders, gliding them along his strong torso, and innocently driving him to have some very improper thoughts of what he would like to be doing with her. _Things that will wait until we're married,_ he thought with a smile.

"Does it hurt terribly?" she asked worriedly as she stared at his ribcage.

Jack shook his head. He smiled as he thought about how worried she was. How gentle she had become. How incredibly sexy she was.

"I missed you so much", he moaned as he ignored the ache in his torso and pulled her closer, moving his lips along her neck.

"I missed you too", she said in a breathy voice before he hungrily took her mouth with his.

* * *

"What are we going to do now?" Elizabeth finally asked as they heard another knock on the door. She looked out the window and saw that the evening sun was beginning to set.

Jack glanced at his watch. "I've got a card game in an hour that I need to get to. I can drop you off at your hotel on my way."

Elizabeth stopped raking his hair and looked curiously at him. "A card game?"

"Poker", Jack said before leaning towards her and giving her a kiss.

Elizabeth accepted the kiss and then backed her face away. "I just came all the way from Hope Valley to seduce you, and you're going to play poker tonight?"

Jack laughed. "It cost me a week's worth of my salary to get assigned to Hope Valley. Three weeks' salary to get the assignment guy to transfer me to Montreal when I was running away from you, and I don't even want to know how much it's going to cost me to get the Force to ignore several regulations and get me transferred back to Hope Valley as soon as possible. I'm going to need some poker winnings and soon. Because I am not about to be apart from you any longer. I love you. "

"This assignment guy is making a small fortune off of us", Elizabeth said with a giggle.

"Worth every penny", Jack whispered as he leaned in for another kiss.

He couldn't get enough of her.

He parted her mouth with his. Feeling the warmth with his tongue. He didn't bother starting slowly. He already knew the passion that ignited between them and he wanted it now.

She returned his kiss with the same intensity, causing a soft groan to escape from deep in his throat.

* * *

"Actually, I may have another way to get transferred back to Hope Valley", Jack said suddenly as he pulled back, leaving Elizabeth to frown that his mouth was no longer on hers.

"What's that?"

"A couple days ago, the Mayor's three-year old daughter fell down into the city's old crumbling well system. I had to climb down 20 feet, crawl on my hands and knees through an old tunnel with falling rocks to find her and then carry her back up _._ That's how I cut my face and re-injured my ribs. Do you have any idea how tightly three-year olds can cling to you when they're terrified of the dark?! Her legs were digging in to my ribs the whole time I carried her out."

"That's very admirable of you, Jack", Elizabeth said with a humorous smile, "But how is that going to help get you back to Hope Valley?"

"The Mayor was extremely grateful, obviously, and he said if I ever needed a favor, he'd help in any way he could."

"Well then, I think that instead of going to a poker game, we are going to see the Mayor", Elizabeth said as she put her arms around Jack's neck. "Because I love you and I'm not going back to Hope Valley without you. And I am certainly not leaving it up to the chance of a poker game."

Jack chuckled. "I am very good at poker."

"So I have heard." She smiled at him. "I haven't told any of the widows except Abigail."

"You know about that too?! About the leases?!"

"Just another reason why I love you. But Constable Thornton, I plan on my hand being the only hand you hold tonight."

Jack smiled at Elizabeth, showing his dimples. "I've never been seduced before. I think I like it."

Elizabeth gave him a seductive smile. "Good because I'm not done yet", she purred as she leaned in for another kiss.

 **The End (Sort of)**

 **Dear Readers, I hope you enjoyed it. Don't stop now. There's another interesting twist to WCTH beginning in the next chapter.**

 **Also, i** **f you like my writing, I also write the much more light-hearted "Reversal of Fortune" story under the name woolenslipper, and the series of Vignettes 1-13 under the name jellybean49.**


	11. A Selfish Scheme:An Honorable Mountie-1

**Dear Readers,**

 **This is a companion story to Devious Scheme. With a slight twist.**

 **I had so much fun writing Devious Scheme that I thought I would try something similar with the character of Elizabeth. What if Elizabeth had come to Coal Valley as the jaded woman and Jack was the honorable Mountie we know and love. How would things have turned out?**

 **A SELFISH SCHEME: AN HONORABLE MOUNTIE**

Chapter 1

Elizabeth Thatcher finished packing her long skirts, silk blouses, and undergarments in her steamer trunk, and moved away from her closet, leaving its door wide open.

The closet, which was still more than half full, had not only held her numerous garments over the years, but it had been her safe haven. Her hiding place. Scrunched on the floor behind the long dresses of her youth, she had read her books and written her secret thoughts in her journal. Hiding from her nanny when she should have been attending a tea party or garden event.

The long gowns from society balls would remain here in Hamilton. She wouldn't need them in Coal Valley. _Thank goodness that I'll have no use to wear anything like this. Maybe Viola or Julie can wear them. They'll enjoy them much more than I ever did,_ the woman in her twenties thought as she pushed the hair from her face.

Crossing the room, she took a final look at her opulent bed with its expensive feather filled comforter and pillows. The fine sheets were from the best stores in Hamilton. She and her sisters had spent countless nights giggling under the covers until Viola had become too prim and uppity and Julie, too carefree and unmotivated to do anything substantial with her life, had become bored with Elizabeth's plans for the future.

Elizabeth Thatcher was an attractive woman with fair perfect complexion and an intelligent brain. In her corset, hand-fitted specifically for her body, she had the tiny waist that was considered desirable for the fashions of the day.

Between her good looks and her more impressive family name, she had had her fair share of potential suitors.

She didn't want any of them.

She had enjoyed the company of many young men. But only as friends or simple acquaintances. In the back of her mind, always lingering, were the words she had heard at her debutante ball.

* * *

The evening of her debutante ball was supposed to have been her grand entrance into society. In her mind, it was her entrance into the harsh realities of her unwanted place in society.

The ballroom had been beautiful those several years ago. She had worn a pure white satin dress, as did the other debutantes, all young ladies from the best families in Hamilton and much of Ontario. Her long white gloves went three inches above the elbow, the exact length dictated by protocol.

Twenty-five minutes before the event was scheduled to begin, she had gone to find her father to thank him for her "society coming out" gift. A diamond brooch.

Just outside the open door of the gathering room for the many fathers, she had stopped to fix the buckle on one of her shoes. That was when she heard the men, full of brandy and cigars, talking to one another.

"Daughters. How did we get so unlucky?"

"It's not so bad, William. At least yours are all attractive."

"Don't forget I've got three. Triple the unfortunate lot in life. And no sons."

"You won't have trouble marrying them off. In fact, with your money, one of them can land British nobility. Those old families in England are in need of an influx of new money. And they're more than happy to share their title if it means keeping their estate going."

"You don't need to tell me about it. Grace has already compiled a list of eligible bachelors for Viola. But this one's different."

"Ahh. This is Elizabeth tonight, isn't it? Your headstrong one."

"Headstrong? She's down right stubborn and independent. If she were a man, it'd be admirable. Now, it's just getting down right embarrassing. It will cost me a small fortune to get her married off."

"Excuse miss. Can I help you?" the servant had asked as he walked by her in the hallway, carrying a tray of appetizers to be delivered to the men. Without answering, Elizabeth, in shock from the conversation, had hurriedly turned and found her way back to the other young ladies.

Twenty minutes later, Elizabeth had stiffly placed her arm through the crook in her father's arm and allowed him to escort him into the ballroom. Always the lady due to years of instruction in proper etiquette in any situation, she had plastered a fake smile to her face as her other escort, her childhood friend, Charles, beamed at her. Her diamond broach sparkled in the light of the chandeliers with their hundreds of candles.

She never wore the brooch again. On the rare occasion that anyone in her family had asked her why she didn't wear it more often, she lied and told them it was so exquisite she preferred to keep it for the most special of occasions. But the truth was that she hated the brooch. It reminded her of her father's words.

 _Unlucky to have a daughter. Downright embarrassing. Unfortunate lot to have only daughters._

As their names had been announced on that special evening in society, the young honorees had walked forward and smiled at the crowd of attendees before joining the others at the end of the stage where the ladies all lined up. Each one introduced to society.

 _Like a pig to slaughter_ , Elizabeth had thought.

 _Like a prize pig to be sold for slaughter._

* * *

Elizabeth now grabbed her hat from the line of hooks on the bedroom wall. Before putting it on her head, she looked at the label in the inside. The most exclusive millinery shop in Hamilton. This would probably be the last hat she would get from them.

Her family named had helped get her interviews with various school superintendents, and her good looks had gotten her more than one unwelcome advance by men with greasy hair and wandering hands. None of the men, despite their positions in government, had considered her a serious candidate for a position. She was certainly not of equal consideration as a male teacher.

Having a wealthy father and a name had gotten her pretty far in life. It got her the finest clothes, all the books she could she wanted to read, summer vacations at cottages on the lake, parties at the country club. But it didn't get you to the top of your college class. Elizabeth did that all on her own.

When Elizabeth had first heard about the assignment to Coal Valley, she had been hesitant. As much as she loved the idea of teaching somewhere different, she was worried she wasn't up to the challenge. And her father, after begrudgingly paying for her semesters at teachers' college and listening to her talk endlessly about her dreams for a position in education, had seemed to finally be close to approving of her. Or so she had naively thought.

She had been almost ready to change her mind. To tell her parents that she would remain in Hamilton and take a position at one of the elite private school. But then, three weeks ago, she had gone up to her bedroom and realized that she had forgotten a book she had been reading in the drawing room.

It was another conversation which she had unintentionally overheard that settled the matter for her. Elizabeth realized that she got far more of an education in life from eavesdropping than she ever got at the dining room table.

Standing hidden outside the slightly ajar door of the drawing room, she had listened to her father and her grandfather talk about her as if she was an incompetent little girl that needed to be contained. A wayward filly that need to be corralled back into the yard.

As Elizabeth listened to them discuss her allowance and trust fund, she went from curious to angry to determined. If her father and grandfather, and the attorney who was with them, thought that a lack of money until she married would cause her to hurry home from Coal Valley and take on the demure life of a socialite, they were going to encounter the opposite effect.

She had no intention of marrying a prospective suitor they had in mind.

Or of returning to Hamilton.

 _"Just get the girl married to someone respectable. From a good family, William. She's close to being a spinster and an embarrassment to the Thatcher name. She's had offers, yes?"_

 _"Of course, she's had offers. With her name and money", her father had said dismissively. "She won't give them the time of day. I've had three men request to court her just this year."_

 _"What about that Kensington boy?"_

 _"We have to move cautiously. She's headstrong. But I do like Charles. And so does she. They're good friends. And he's interested."_

 _"Give her a month or two. Then cut back on her allowance. She'll come running home in no time."_

 _"Is the trust fund set up exactly as I requested?"_

 _"Yes, sir. Exactly as you asked. I'm sure it will motivate her to return home and seriously consider your recommended suitors, especially if you've cut back her allowance. She'll tire of this silly idea of hers", the balding attorney had replied._

 _"We certainly hope so."_

Elizabeth had quickly forgotten about the book she had left in the drawing room. By the time she had retreated back up the stairs and to her room, she had formulated a plan. A plan that the men in her life, congratulating themselves on how clever they were, were not anticipating.

* * *

Now, as she rode into Coal Valley, Elizabeth mentally went over her timeline again. She had been counting on income from her family to help her. The meager salary from her new job as a teacher would be barely enough for food. Thankfully, the job came with a teacherage for her to live in.

She was never going back to Hamilton. And she had every intention of getting her hands on her trust fund. She had enough of her family treating her like chattel.

It was just a matter of finding the right man. Getting married. Getting her hands on the money from her trust fund. And then getting a divorce after her next birthday.

That was the key; she had to be married by the time of her next birthday in order to get access to the funds. Then she could do what she wanted. Maybe go back to school for more education. Or travel though America and Europe without a chaperone. Or buy a house and stay in Coal Valley to teach.

Elizabeth knew that it wouldn't be very hard to find a simple man to marry. Every man wanted a wife and she was a good catch. She wasn't being vain. Elizabeth knew that she was fairly attractive in terms of her looks. She also knew that there was something much more attractive to men than looks. Money. Lots of money. And once she married, she would have plenty of it.

She just had to find a man who had no qualms about marrying her quickly. Someone she could control while they were married. Someone she could easily dispose of through a quick divorce and financial settlement once she had her trust fund.

Getting a man to pay attention to her was easy enough. She had had countless Saturday afternoon lessons in etiquette. Instructions in dancing. The art of conversation and how to flatter any man, young or old. She had her fair share of men wooing her at the country club. Not just Charles, who was like a dog, panting around her, waiting for her to throw him a smile. All the men liked her once they found out her last name.

Elizabeth had grown up with every material object a young girl could want. But she had to follow the rules. The rules made by men. Everything to men was about money and prestige. It was time for her to play that game to.

Despite her father's affection for her, she had never felt truly loved and wanted by him. She had never felt that she had the respect of any man. For the simple reason of her gender.

William Thatcher, a good man by most standards, had never hid the fact that he had always wanted a son.

After her fifth pregnancy, his wife, Grace, had declared that she was finished. She had done her best. Two sons, one still born and the other dead within a week of birth. And three healthy daughters.

When William had crawled into his wife's bed one night when their youngest, Julie, was six months old, Grace had told him firmly that if he wasn't happy with his offspring, he could find another bed in which to warm himself. Her childbearing days were over. She was never going to give him a son, no matter how much he wished for it.

Elizabeth had often wished she had a brother. Maybe then her father could have also appreciated his daughters. As she got closer to Coal Valley, Elizabeth wondered for a brief moment what it would be like to be married for love to a kind and an honorable man who respected her and loved her for herself and not for her money. A man who didn't care if she gave him daughters or sons but loved both of them equally.

Then she banished that thought from her mind. No man had ever loved her for who she was. Not her father and grandfather who wished she had been born a boy and were embarrassed by her independence.

No suitor had ever respected the real Elizabeth. The independent intelligent Elizabeth. Not the men who had taken her to dances and Cafes. Not the men who had asked if they could escort her to the opera or share a picnic with her. They had always become bored when she talked about her dreams of teaching and laughed at her impractical dreams. Even Charles didn't respect her. Although she had only ever cared for him as a friend, it still hurt that he saw money when he saw her.

* * *

Elizabeth was going to Coal Valley by herself. With a plan.

If men could get away with using women and treating them like second class citizens on a daily basis, she had no reservations about using a man.

She was going to be married by her next birthday. To whomever she chose. Quite frankly, she didn't care if he was smart, and she realized that the dumber, the better. And she didn't care if he was healthy, or even good looking. Although, good looking would obviously be more pleasant she had to admit.

As long as he was a man whom she could control. That was important. It had to be a man she could control and who was eager to have a wife, even if only for a short time.

And it had to happen soon; before her next birthday.

 **Up next: Chapter 2**

 **Dear Readers: If you are going to the WCTH Hearties reunion this week, have a wonderful time! Safe Travels.**


	12. Chapter 12 - French Toast

**Chapter 2 – French Toast**

Elizabeth Thatcher had been in town almost eight weeks and her scheme to quickly get married was not going at all according to plan.

Now that she was living in Coal Valley, Elizabeth realized just how pampered her life had been until this moment. The mansion in Hamilton. Summer vacations at the lake. The opera. The theater. The fancy clothes. The elaborate meals prepared by the family cook.

These children had nothing like that. Instead, the ground had swallowed up their fathers, burying them under cold black rocks.

No one had prepared Elizabeth for the overwhelming need of the children. The sadness behind the eyes that tried to pay attention while she went over the day's lessons. The young girls who wore tattered dresses and spoke of their dead fathers. The boys who looked down at their shoes and wiped their eyes when they thought that no one was looking.

Elizabeth did whatever was asked of her. She loaned books. She stayed late after class to give individual attention to some students. She helped the little ones who had accidents and shyly asked if they could go home to change clothes. She shared her lunch with the ones that looked hungrily at her lunch pail after they had finished their simple food.

Despite how busy she was, she had managed to carve out some time to evaluate the local men. Her list of possible husbands was smaller than she had hoped and she realized that she may have to expand to nearby towns. There was the banker, the bartender, the foreman of the mine, the mercantile owner, the Pinkertons who provided security for the mine. And a few other men.

Her Sundays after church services were reserved for eating lunches, either at the Saloon or on a blanket with a picnic basket, with different men. Unfortunately, she had managed to find something which she didn't like about each of them. Either they were too opinionated. Or too stupid . . . even to put up with for a short marriage. Or had an underlying temper; she would never put up with a man laying a hand on her. Or had a wife back home in Montreal. Or were far too uncouth. Or drank too much. Or gambled too much. Or had bad breath.

Elizabeth realized that for an arranged marriage that was not expected to last, she was being far too picky. She convinced herself that she didn't know why she couldn't settle on a man.

But she did know why. She just didn't want to admit it.

* * *

The first time Elizabeth had seen the new constable she was slightly out of sorts after having run out of the Saloon with the children when the sirens had gone off. The sirens. Letting the town residents know that more bodies had been found.

Constable Jack Thornton had come upon the group of residents at the mine entrance arguing over a simple plank of wood. She didn't think he had even noticed her. But she had noticed him.

In a matter of minutes, he had brought order to the town residents.

And total disorder to her plan.

* * *

If her Sundays after church were reserved for auditioning future husbands, the remainder of Elizabeth's free time was spent with Jack Thornton.

"What's your family like?"

"The usual. Tell me more about yours."

The two were walking through the tall grasses near the pond on the outskirts of town. The warm sun felt wonderful on Elizabeth's face, but more importantly, the man keeping pace next to her was warming her even more.

As they walked, Jack spent the next fifteen minutes regaling Elizabeth with stories of his upbringing. Keeping her laughing as he imitated his stern but loving mother, who had a tendency to still treat him like a baby. To his own surprise, he found himself telling her about his father and how much he missed the man.

"Now it's your turn", he encouraged.

"Mother was mother. And Father always wanted me to be a boy", she stated simply. Not complaining but stating it as a fact.

"I'm sure he was happy with you", Jack noted with a good-natured smile.

Elizabeth gave a shrug. "When I was ten, I wanted to go to work with my father one day. My mother had taken me to his office when we were running errands a few times, and another time, the driver dropped him off at the wharf when we were with him. So, I was ten and decided I would go to work with my father. Learn more about the family business. Work side by side with him. I said, 'Father, can I go with you to work? I love you and want to be just like you.'" Elizabeth gave a wry laugh as she remembered it. "I was totally honest about everything back then."

"I still remember what my father said. 'No. Don't be silly. You need to stay home with your mother and sisters and learn to be a lady.' I argued with him that I wanted to be with him but he refused. He just picked up his briefcase and walked out the door."

Jack continued walking but looked sympathetically at Elizabeth who was staring straight ahead. "I'm sorry. He probably didn't realize how that would affect you."

"He wouldn't have cared."

"Of course, he would have. He loved you. He was just raised in a more old-fashioned way. That's all." Jack wasn't so sure it was true, but he was going to rationalize the man's actions if it meant making Elizabeth feel better.

"When I was thirteen, my French instructor told me that I was the best student he had ever had. He wanted Father and Mother to take me to Quebec the next time they went and let me practice my fluency and work a bit more on my accent. I was so proud of myself. When father came home from the office, I ran to tell him. Do you know what he said to me?"

Jack was afraid to ask so he remained silent, waiting for her to volunteer the information.

"He said, 'I so wish you had been born a boy. How proud I would have been to have you by my side.' After that I lost my interest in French."

"I'm sorry."

Elizabeth gave another shrug. "It was what it was. I'm over it."

Jack suspected that she wasn't over it, and he wracked his brain for something to say other than he thought Elizabeth's father sounded like a jerk.

"I've got an idea. Since you had such an affinity for French, I would like to invite you to breakfast tomorrow.'

"Breakfast?"

Jack smiled. "French toast. At the jail. I'll make it myself on my wood burning stove. You bring the syrup.'

Elizabeth smiled. "It's a deal."

* * *

Elizabeth was ten minutes late to the jail the next morning.

It wasn't that she wanted to be fashionable late for her French toast breakfast, but her time to find a husband was running short. And Jack, who had made it known that he had no intention of marrying, wasn't a viable candidate. So when she had seen a single man walking out of the mercantile, she found a reason to stop and chat. It had taken her five minutes to decide that the mustached man from the railroad was a worthy prospect, another minute to get him to invite her to a meal, and then another four minutes to get him to leave her alone so she could hurry to the jail.

"Tell me about your students", Jack said as he set down a plate with two perfectly golden crisp pieces of bread on it.

"You would not believe the handful they can be."

"I actually would. I told you that my mother was a teacher. She taught me at home for a while, but then she went back to teaching in a small school. My brother, Tom, and I were two of her students. We've seen everything she went through," Jack said with a grin before he took a sip of his drink.

"You're too pretty. Ma always said it was easier to get the students to behave when she looked stern."

Elizabeth laughed at his comment and then bit her lip nervously as Jack put a forkful of toast in his mouth. _He probably doesn't even realize what he just said. Does he really think that I'm pretty?_

"Do you need someone to walk you home tonight? Martin Riley's mother mentioned that you would be tutoring him tonight. I don't like the idea of you walking back by yourself. They live kind of far out there."

"Jack, it's not even a mile. I think I can handle it."

"Just under a mile in the dark with wolves and coyotes", he noted.

"And you don't think I can handle myself", she said with hostility suddenly creeping into her voice. _My goodness, is he just like every other man? Thinking I'm incapable of handling myself?!_

Jack raised his hands in surrender. "No offense intended. I'm sure you could handle yourself just fine if the wolves and coyotes got into a debate with you. However, they don't speak English. Or French for that matter. And you look entirely too delicious as a meal for them to pass up. So, if there are no further objections, I will be walking you home from the Riley's house this evening."

Elizabeth looked startled. _Did he just compliment me and tease me at the same time?_

Jack picked up the bottle of syrup and poured the thick amber liquid onto his own plate of French toast "By the way, I think it's admirable how much you're doing for your students."

"Admirable?", she squeaked out. Suddenly she had gone from feeling hostile to back to feeling infatuated with the man sitting across from her.

"You're the town school teacher and you've been thrown into a tragic situation with many of these kids still in shock over losing their fathers and some of them also losing older brothers. You've given special attention to every child in your class." _  
_

"It's no big deal. . .But thanks for noticing."

"It is a big deal. And you're hard not to notice."

* * *

As Jack washed the dishes after Elizabeth had left, he smiled to himself. _She certainly is like no one I've ever met. It's nice to have a friend like her._

* * *

As Elizabeth walked home from her breakfast with Jack, she realized that despite her best intentions, she was starting to fall for the only man that she would never be able to control and who had made it perfectly clear that he was not going to marry.

 _Well this isn't working out_ , she realized with a frown.

 **Up next: Chapter 3**


	13. Chapter 13 - The Proposal

**Chapter 3 - The Proposal**

The mine was cold. Dark. Damp.

The dim glow which was emitted from the headlamps did little to comfort Elizabeth as she and the other women walked through the labyrinth of tunnels, some of which were so low that at 5 feet 8 inches in height, Elizabeth found herself stooping in places.

As she moved past an air shaft, Elizabeth silently prayed that she wouldn't suffocate below ground, surrounded by the bleakness of hard rocks. She pitied the men who had to work in these conditions day after day. Unable to distinguish day from night as they pounded the rocks so far from the sun.

 _How can the men stand to work like this? Working in this claustrophobic cave. Not feeling fresh air. Never seeing the sun. Not feeling rain drops on a summer day. Never walking through fields of tall grass talking to Jack. . . Wait a second, did I just think of Jack?! Stop it, Elizabeth! Concentrate on mining; not on how handsome and nice Jack is_!

Elizabeth bit her bottom lip pensively. She remembered the feeling she had gotten when Jack, as promised, had walked her home from the Riley home earlier in the week after tutoring. And how she had felt when he had walked her home from the Henderson home the evening after that. And from the Saloon the evening after that. _Why does my heart race when he smiles at me with those dimples of his? Why has no other man ever made me feel this way? Why do we never run out of conversation? Why do we not need any conversation to enjoy spending time together?_

* * *

Eight hours later, every joint in Elizabeth's body was sore. Her hands were caked in coal dust, her mouth tasted like she had eaten a coal sandwich for lunch, and she discovered that when she blew her nose, even her snot was black.

It had been a long day and the exhaustion was etched on her face. Elizabeth sat down on the simple wood chair in her bedroom and untied the laces on her boots. Allowing the shoes to drop to the floor with a thud, she closed her eyes and sighed.

He was different than any man she had ever met. When she had told Jack that she was going into the coal mine to help the widows keep their row houses, she saw it in his eyes. Oh, he still had the look that she was getting in over her head. She had seen that look plenty of times in her father's eyes, her grandfathers, and in Charles.

But Elizabeth saw something else in Jack's eyes. Something in addition to that look. Not just that she was getting in over her head, but that he was impressed with her.

At first, she had wondered if maybe she had been wrong. But then she had seen it again. When she had come out of the mine for the final time. He had sat on his horse and tipped his hat to her. And she knew it. He was impressed with her.

Jack Thornton was proud of her.

For some reason, that meant more to her than she wanted to admit.

Elizabeth would have loved to have had a servant fill a tub with soapy water for her. Have the family cook in Hamilton prepare her a cup of tea to warm her chilled body. Tea. Tea would be so nice now.

But Elizabeth was too tired to do anything more than undress. _Nap first. Bath second. Food and tea third_ , she thought as she pulled off her dirty clothes and collapsed on the mattress.

* * *

The knock on the door woke her from a sound sleep. At first, she didn't know where she was and why one of the servants wasn't answering the door. As the knocking continued, she sat up and realized she was in her bedroom in Coal Valley.

She sleepily stumbled to the front door and pulled it wide open, revealing Jack, who was standing in the evening sunset, looking terribly handsome in his Mountie-issued uniform.

"Hello, Jack". She yawned as she looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

Elizabeth looked over his shoulder at the red-orange sunset and realized that she had been asleep longer than she had intended. _It must be dinner time_ , she thought with mild surprise.

"Did you want something, Jack?"

"Jack?"

 _Why is he acting so strange? Clearing his throat and gesturing towards my body? Is he blushing?_

Elizabeth curiously looked at Jack and then looked down at her own clothing.

"Oh my goodness!" she squealed as she retreated into the room and quickly slammed the door shut in Jack's blushing face.

Leaning against the now closed door, a mortified Elizabeth looked down at herself and started breathing heavily as she felt her pulse quicken erratically.

She saw what Jack had just seen.

Her ample bust was practically falling out of the simple lace top of her undergarment. Her slender hips and legs were clinging to the fabric of her knickers. Her bare arms revealed every freckle she had had since birth.

 _No! No! I didn't just open the door to Jack while I was dressed only in my knickers and top slip!,_ she thought desperately.

She heard his laughter through the wood separating them. And then his voice called out to her.

"I just wanted to let you know that Abigail is having dinner with some of the other woman to celebrate the work in the mine. She's at the Henderson place if you want to join them."

Without waiting for a response, which he rightly assumed he wouldn't get, Jack chuckled as he walked away.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Jack was sitting in the Saloon, still smiling as he thought of the sight of Elizabeth in her undergarments. He had seen her in her clothes enough that he knew she had a nice figure; however, this newest view of her had confirmed what he had only imagined. Her figure was truly remarkable even without a corset.

 _She has very nice cleavage_ , he thought as he took another sip of beer and set his mug down on the long wooden bar.

 _Not that it matters. I'm not planning on ever seeing it again. . . . Although, I wouldn't object to it if I did,_ he thought sheepishly with another smile.

* * *

The town citizens, dressed in their Sunday best, fidgeted in their seats as they waited impatiently for the end of the long-winded sermon by the week's visiting pastor.

Jack glanced across the aisle at her but Elizabeth, her cheeks flushed pink, avoided his gaze and stared forward, pretending to be enthralled with the day's sermon when in reality she hadn't heard a word of it as she remembered how she had been barely dressed the last time Jack had seen her.

Despite knowing how awkward she must feel about their encounter at her front door last night, Jack couldn't keep from smiling. _She's so darn adorable_.

When the sermon ended, Jack stood up and intended to speak to Elizabeth. But his path to her was blocked by Mrs. Greene who wanted to speak with him about increasing his patrols at night.

By the time, Jack had finished easing the widow's worries about the town and assuring her that it was safe, Elizabeth was already walking away. With the banker. A picnic basket and blanket under his arm.

Jack didn't know why the sight made him frown. He reminded himself that he had no plans to start a relationship with her. Despite how adorable she was. And attractive. And smart.

He had made it very clear to her that Mounties don't marry. At least not this early in a career.

 _But I do enjoy her company_ , he thought. _More than I probably should_.

 _It doesn't matter though. I'm not interested in courting her_ , he reminded himself. _And she's moving on with someone else._

* * *

The letter arrived two weeks later. Personally delivered by Charles Kensington.

"I have some business in the nearby towns, and your father asked if I minded delivering this to you. And perhaps I can take you to lunch", Charles offered pleasantly as he and Elizabeth stood in her parlor.

Realizing that she was surprisingly curious from news of home and Hamilton society, she readily agreed to lunch at Abigail's new Café. Elizabeth put the envelope on her desk, planning to read it later, and grabbed a shawl from the hook on the wall before taking Charles' arm and heading out to eat.

* * *

Three hours later, full of both food and news of home, Elizabeth gave a Charles a friendly kiss on the cheek.

"Safe Travels", she said as he entered the stage coach which was headed out of town.

"He seems like a good friend. Perhaps more?" Abigail remarked as she finished sweeping the leaves and dirt from the porch in front of the Café, and the two women went back into the now empty building.

"I used to think so. That we were friends. But not really. The more time I spend with Jack, the more I realize what a friendship is really supposed to be about. Charles and I had good times together, but I was never truly myself around him. With Jack, I can be myself."

"I'll get us some tea", Abigail offered as Elizabeth took a seat. "Does Charles know how you feel about him? Could you perhaps see yourself having a life with him?"

"If he doesn't know how I feel about him, well, that's just too bad for him. And, no, I cannot see myself having a life with him", she responded simply.

Abigail looked at Elizabeth curiously. There was something about Elizabeth's answer that made Abigail think there was more to the story.

Elizabeth sighed as she thought about her history with Charles. She had thought Charles would understand her dream of being a teacher. Of being something other than just a wife and mother. He had been one of her closest friends. But she had been wrong. Once again, a man had let her down.

"Just before graduation from teachers college, Charles and I were having lunch together. He had just complimented me on my dress when I accidentally spilled tea on it. I excused myself to change and left him downstairs in the parlor. When I came down 15 minutes later, he and father were talking. I heard my father say how much Charles was like a son to him. And then. . . .then he asked Charles if he had given any more thought to being his actual son. Or rather his son in law."

"I thought I saw Charles giving you an adoring look when you were eating. He's clearly infatuated with you", Abigail noted.

Elizabeth gave a cold laugh. "It isn't quite so romantic as you seem to imply. That day, I heard him tell my father that he was interested in joining the families together. But he hadn't decided on which of us three girls would be the most suitable wife."

"He didn't?!" a stunned Abigail exclaimed.

"They started going over our attributes. Father initially suggested Viola. Charles agreed that she would make the most suitable wife in terms of temperament. And she was the eldest. But he thought perhaps her health wasn't as strong as mine for "child bearing" and she might not be willing to become pregnant as often as necessary until she gave birth to a son. And mother was still hoping to match her up with British nobility."

"And Julie?"

"Julie was ruled out because Charles found her too young and wild. And that left me. According to Charles, he had always found me friendly and fun. Smart. And I was attractive. He didn't see any reason why we couldn't have a successful marriage if I just got these silly ideas of teaching out of my head."

"What else did they say?" a stunned Abigail asked as she stared at Elizabeth and wondered how the rich could be so callous.

"That if father let me teach for a year, I would 'get it out of my system" and realize that my place in society was as wife and mother. Father was thrilled. Charles was thrilled. Neither one of them bothered to consult me. Father told Charles that it was best not to let me know that the marriage was arranged. Charles should attempt to court me as if it were a purely romantic relationship. I was never to know that it was about my money or my family name."

"Oh, Elizabeth. I'm so sorry."

Elizabeth shrugged off any sympathy. "Speaking of my family, Charles gave me a letter from them. Please excuse me. " Elizabeth, suddenly anxious as to the envelope in her desk, stood up from the table.

* * *

"No. No. No!" Elizabeth grumbled as she read the correspondence from her father. _Where did the time go?_ she thought frantically as she pulled the calendar from her desk drawer.

The correspondence was simple and to the point; her family had decided to end her allowance.

Her father had written that he and Elizabeth's mother had decided that Elizabeth probably wanted to be self-supporting and they certainly didn't want to go against her wishes; therefore, they were going to stop her allowance effective immediately.

 _Darn them! I haven't found a suitable temporary husband yet!_

* * *

Elizabeth, walking into the Saloon to gather some school books and to contemplate the remaining available men in town, stopped in her tracks when she saw Jack with his hand on Florence Blakeley's waist.

"Really, Constable, stop acting so stiff. You need to relax", Florence admonished Jack.

As he looked at his feet and then took a step backwards and then another to the side, Jack didn't see that Elizabeth was standing in the room.

A surprised Elizabeth looked at the couple and then realized that the phonograph was playing a tune and several children were sitting in chairs watching.

"Oh, Constable. You just aren't relaxed enough! How are the children ever going to learn proper dancing if you're such a terrible example?" Florence huffed in exasperation.

"Miss Thatcher!", the widow called out when she noticed Elizabeth standing in the doorway. "Over here. Now, please. I'm trying to teach the children how to dance. Do you dance well?"

"Of course", Elizabeth answered. "I've been dancing for years at balls."

Ten seconds later, Elizabeth found herself in Jack's arms, waiting for Florence to start the soft flow of music from the beginning of the record on the phonograph.

Jack gazed in Elizabeth's eyes and gave her a weak smile. "Sorry, I haven't had much experience in this."

"You'll be fine", she said with a reassuring grin.

Before long, the young couple had forgotten the stares of the children and the few towns people who had wandered in. They barely heard the sound of Florence as she provided instructions, criticisms, and compliments to the children and the couple. Instead, Elizabeth found herself trying to stifle her giggles as a charming Jack whispered humorous remarks in her ear.

By the third song, Elizabeth had moved so close to Jack and looked at him so attentively that she knew every line in his face.

She realized that he wasn't as tall as many of the men she had danced with in Hamilton. _But our lips are the perfect height for each other. I would only have to tilt my head up slightly_ _to kiss him,_ she thought wistfully.

And his shoulders weren't as broad as some of the men who had asked to court her over the years. _But they would be strong and secure enough to rest my tired head at the end of the day._

His clothes weren't from the finest Men's clothiers in Hamilton. _But they reflect his hard work ethic._

If Jack had been stiff in Florence's arms, he was warm and soft in Elizabeth's. Together, they danced to the music, their feet in perfect sync with each other. Even if they didn't realize it themselves, and perhaps they did, they were a perfect match for each other.

* * *

Elizabeth had enjoyed her time with Jack so much that she had all but forgotten about her father's letter until she reached her porch steps an hour later, and the harsh ploy of her father and grandfather came back to her.

"Jack, I have a proposition for you", Elizabeth said as Jack walked her to the front door. "Can you come inside for a minute?"

"What's up?" Jack asked pleasantly. Once inside, he took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair as he waited patiently for Elizabeth to speak.

"First, I want to let you know that I really enjoy our friendship."

"So do I", he replied with a smile.

"I want you to marry me."

"Excuse me?!", he sputtered. "It was just dancing, Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth shook her head at his misunderstanding of the situation.

"It would be a business transaction. I'm tired of being attached to my father's pocketbook. And the salary here is pitiful. I have a trust fund but I cannot access it unless I'm married. I would like you to marry me", Elizabeth explained as she went to the ice box and took out a pitcher of lemonade, before moving to the cupboard and taking out two glasses.

"You have got to be joking!"

"No. I'm perfectly serious. I'll make it worth your while. I promise. You will financially benefit from the arrangement."

A dumbfounded Jack stared at Elizabeth and absent-mindedly took the glass she offered him.

"Elizabeth, do you have feelings for me?" he asked curiously.

"Of course. You've become a very good friend to me."

"And this is how you treat friends?"

"What do you mean?" she asked with curious stare.

"If I marry you, I would be giving up my plans to be a Mountie, traveling to remote areas. And if I marry you . . . for business as you put it . . . I would give up any chance of marrying a woman for love and having children with her. "

Elizabeth was temporarily speechless. She realized that she hadn't thought this through enough and perhaps she hadn't explained it well enough.

"Jack, it wouldn't be forever. It would just be until after my birthday when I can get access to my trust fund. Then I'll give you a divorce", she said as she smiled at him.

"So you'd just be _using_ me?"

"Well . . . no. . . I mean yes. . . But no", she said hesitantly, surprised by the coldness in his voice. "I mean, it's just business between friends."

"Sit down and think about", she suggested pleasantly as she went to the cookie jar and took out some cookies.

"No", he said frostily.

"No? No to cookies or no to marrying me?"

"No to both."

Elizabeth angrily set down the cookie plate on the table. _How dare he?! He hasn't even considered it!_ _Does he think he's better than me?!_

"Why not?" she demanded.

"Because it's not right. You'll regret it. I'll regret it."

"I will not regret it! I will be grateful! And why in the world would you regret it? You'll never get a better offer!"

"Is that what you truly think? That your offer . . . marriage for money is the best I'll ever do? That money is better than love? That I couldn't possibly ever want a family for real one day", he practically shouted at her in frustration.

"You're a Mountie! You don't want to marry for love!" she yelled back.

When Jack didn't respond but just continued to look at her, Elizabeth felt disgusted with his rejection of her.

"Fine. Don't marry me. I'll marry someone else."

"You can't be serious. You can't just go marry someone else!" A flabbergasted Jack stared at her as if she were a stranger. Not the woman with whom he had quickly become close friends over the last few months. Not the woman who he had desperately wanted to kiss just an hour earlier when he held her warm body in his arms and danced in the Saloon.

"I am totally serious! For goodness sakes. Be a man. You're a Mountie. You're supposed to be brave and confident. Just say yes and stop worrying about it", she said bitterly.

Jack picked up his hat and moved to the door. He gave her a sad look which she didn't understand.

"Elizabeth, I'm a Mountie but that doesn't mean I can't be hurt. I have feelings. And I thought you did too. Obviously, I was wrong."

Elizabeth stared at Jack's back as she watched him walk out the door and let it slam behind him.

 **Up next: Chapter 4**


	14. Chapter 14 - The Wedding

**Chapter 4—The Wedding**

 _Darn it!_ The wind snatched Elizabeth's hat right out of her hand where she had been holding it after taking it off her head so that she could feel the late day sun on her face. After stealing it from her grasp, the strong breeze carried it across the field and rudely deposited it onto a rock in the middle of the nearby creek.

Frowning in frustration, Elizabeth looked at the shallow flowing water. _It can't be more than a few inches deep. Not even a foot. And it is my favorite hat._

She picked up the hem of her skirt and gingerly made her way closer to the edge of the water. The current moved quickly down the creek, passing over and around rocks which jutted out of the water.

 _If I'm careful with my balancing, I can make it without even getting my shoes wet._

The first few rocks were stable and large enough that Elizabeth felt comfortable standing on them. If the next five rocks which she had to step on to get to her hat were just as stable, she'd be fine. She hesitated as she looked at them, realizing that they were smaller than they had looked from the creek bank.

She took one more step, but the stone moved under her weight, forcing her to quickly jump to the next rock and she faltered before gaining her balance. _Oh, dear, now I'm stuck_.

She stood there unsure of what to do. Backwards or forwards? Suddenly neither way looked very stable.

"Take my hand."

Elizabeth looked up to the sound of the strong voice.

"Jack?" she said in surprise. They hadn't spoken since he had refused her proposal three nights earlier. Since then, they had gone out of their way to avoid each other in the small town. Crossing the street when they saw one another coming. Jumping back inside the doorway of the Café, when she saw him leaving the jail. Staying in the livery longer than he needed to until she was in class teaching the children.

But now he was standing with his tall boots in the water. His arm outstretched to her as he nodded to her to grasp his hand.

Elizabeth reached out and put her hand in his awaiting palm, allowing him to securely close his fingers around it. Without a word, he led her over the remaining rocks and back to the bank. It felt so nice to touch him that she didn't want him to let her go. But he did.

"Thank you, Jack. I didn't want to get my shoes wet. And I'm sure the water is cold. My hat blew in the wind and I wanted to get it back. It's from Bricker's Millinery in Hamilton. They're on Center Street. Near the park. I got it last year. It's one of my favorites."

She realized that she was babbling, but Elizabeth didn't know what else to do and couldn't seem to stop herself as she watched Jack go back into the water to retrieve her hat.

"Here. It looks like it's okay. Just a little wet in places. Hopefully the ribbons aren't ruined."

She took her hat from him, and found her eyes lingering on his hands. When she looked up, she caught him staring at her, and their eyes met for a moment before he turned away and started walking. "It's getting late. You should get back to town. I'll walk with you."

"Thank you!" she responded as she hurried to catch up to him. "You don't have to but I appreciate the company."

They were almost back to town before Elizabeth got the courage to break the silence which had remained between them since she had accepted his offer to walk with her.

"Jack?" she said hesitantly as she slowed her pace and then stopped. "I'm so sorry. Really I am. I shouldn't have asked you. You were right to get angry at me. We're friends and I asked too much. Can you forgive me?"

"Please?" she added pleadingly.

Jack started walking again.

When Elizabeth didn't follow, he looked over his shoulder and gave her a grin. "Well, hurry up. You're my closest friend in Coal Valley. I can't just leave you here on the edge of town. You liable to get eaten by wolves or coyotes."

Her face broke out in a smile as she hurried to him.

* * *

Two weeks later, Elizabeth tried not to let her eyes tear up as she sat at a Saloon table and poked her reddened finger with a needle. "Ouch", she said under her breath as she winced and shook her finger.

"If you're trying to sew, you're doing a horrible job. Usually women around here do it with fabric and thread", Jack said as he walked towards her.

"Very funny. Ha ha. I'm trying to get a splinter out. It hurts."

Jack reached into this pocket and took out a small soft-covered kit. Opening it up, he removed a pair of thin silver tweezers. As Elizabeth watched, he pulled out a chair next to her and sat down.

"Gimme", he instructed as he held out his hand.

"Be careful", she said cautiously as she placed her palm in his.

"Hush. I know what I'm doing."

They both were quiet as Jack gently held her hand and massaged the injured finger between his thumb and index finger before leaning closer with the tweezers.

With his eyes concentrating on the tiny wound, Jack was unaware of Elizabeth concentrating on him. He assumed that she was quiet because she was trying not to wince in pain.

If he could have read her thoughts, he would have known that she was thinking about how wonderful he smelled. How nice he was. How much she had enjoyed his company since they had mended their friendship two weeks ago after their encounter in the creek.

It seemed like every day that Jack was in town, they found some time to spend together. Last night, they had laughed for hours as he taught her how to play poker and she attempted to bake cookies, which he eventually decided were hard enough to be used as their poker chips.

"All better", he declared as he pulled out the splinter and released her hand.

"Thank you! I owe you. I'm so glad I had a Mountie to rescue me", she added teasingly.

"If you owe me, how about you buy me dinner? Or at least keep me company?"

"I'd love to. But it can't be today. Sorry. I've got plans."

Jack frowned. "Who's this one?"

"Tom Bunton from the railroad company. He's in town for another week or so," Elizabeth answered casually.

"This is your third meal with him", Jack noted as he put away his tweezers.

"Jack, you said you would stay out of it. That you would let me make my own decisions. I told you that I plan on being married before my birthday," she reminded him.

"I know. But you are really asking for trouble. Does it mean that much to you? The trust fund?"

"It's not just the trust fund. I told you that. It's the fact that my family thinks they can control me. They treat me like a second-class citizen because I'm a woman. I want to be in control of my own life. I want to show them that they can't treat me like this. Let's not discuss it. I've got to go get ready. But thank you for getting out the splinter. I'll see you later."

As Elizabeth gathered her belongings and then headed out the door, she didn't notice the look on Jack's face.

* * *

The next afternoon, Elizabeth sat at her desk and thought about her predicament.

 _I give up. Tom Bunton is so boring I can't even stand the idea of being platonically married to him. I practically fell asleep in my mashed potatoes last night. . . . Matthew Bickers is an arrogant fool. . . . Sam Ferguson sniffles so much from his allergies that I would end up killing him before we could get a divorce. Hmm. That would avoid the need for a divorce. But jail time isn't in my plans._

Elizabeth looked at her calendar and then at the list in her hand. Every name but one was crossed off. _This is hopeless. If whatshisname. . . what is his name? Oh, yes. Peter Taylor. If Peter Taylor doesn't work out, my next stop will have to be Union City._

"Miss Thatcher."

Elizabeth looked up into the smiling face of Peter Taylor, the town's newest and very handsome foreman to the coal mine.

"Are you ready for our walk?"

Elizabeth returned his smile. "Yes, I am", she replied as she crumpled the paper in hand and stood up.

* * *

An hour later, Elizabeth closed her front door and leaned against it, thinking of her time with Peter.

She tucked her cotton blouse neatly back into her skirt and ran her hands through her hair, pushing stray curls back under the combs. Taking deep breaths, she tried to fill her lungs after her recent rush of activity.

The weather had been beautiful. The walk had been filled with interesting conversation. The flower which Peter had picked for her had smelled wonderful.

The slap to his face when he tried to kiss her had been necessary.

The quick but powerful kick to his private parts had been fulfilling.

The slew of harsh words she had yelled would be the last she ever said to him.

The run back to town had been exhausting.

* * *

Jack was leaving the livery when he saw Elizabeth hurrying down the street towards her place. He was thinking about heading to check on her when he saw Peter Taylor limping towards town.

Ten minutes later, Jack had gotten the full story of what had happened from the angry and embarrassed foreman, who now had a black eye thanks to Jack's right fist.

* * *

"I'll do it."

"Do what?" Elizabeth asked with a smile as she looked at Jack who was standing on her porch. When she had opened the door to his knock, she had been immediately grateful that she had quickly freshened up after her dreadful incident with the overbearing Peter.

"You're not here to arrest me, are you? Because that disgusting pig deserved to be slapped and kicked", she remarked confidently when Jack stood there looking at her.

Jack took a deep breath before responding. "I'll marry you. We can go to Farmington tomorrow."

Elizabeth stared at him as her pulse quickened. _Was he serious?_

"What made you change your mind?" she asked. Her eyes were wide open in astonishment.

"If you are set to marry someone, it might as well be me. I'm not going to let you get into a bad situation. I'll spend most of my time traveling so we won't have to spend a lot of time together pretending to be married. We can still lead our own lives."

"Thank you! Thank you! You won't be sorry", she said with overwhelming gratitude.

"We'll see about that. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning at 7:00", Jack replied before he quickly turned and walked away.

* * *

They had taken two horses on the four-hour ride to Farmington. Elizabeth had suggested that they borrow Mr. Gowen's automobile, but Jack had refused. She had suggested that they wait until the weekend for the stagecoach to take them, but he had refused. She had suggested that they wait for a visiting pastor to arrive on Sunday, but Jack had refused.

In fact, Elizabeth realized that Jack was being very obstinate about everything. For a man who was getting married to an attractive and very wealthy socialite, Jack had been getting exceedingly grumpy throughout the day.

* * *

The marriage ceremony was short. Certainly, nothing like anything a young lady imagines when dreaming of her wedding.

Afterwards, they had gone to get a bite to eat before planning to get their horses from the livery and make their way back home.

When the rain came down in sheets of cold and stinging water, Jack had scowled and left his new bride at the restaurant while he went to Farmington's only hotel to check if they had any available room.

* * *

Now Elizabeth stood inside the simple hotel room and stared at the double bed with its checkered quilt while Jack took fresh towels from the clerk. He placed them on the dresser and then made his way across the room and pulled the heavy drapes closed.

She bit her lip nervously and twisted her hands together behind her back. The bedroom. They hadn't discussed the bedroom. What was expected of her?

 _How could I be so stupid! We didn't even discuss this. Obviously, he may expect something. But how much will he expect? Obviously, I don't mind something; it's Jack! Gosh, of course, I don't mind. I wonder if he'll tell me that he loves me first. I'm sure he will. But, oh my, what have I gotten myself into?_

If it had been any other man in the world, Elizabeth would have bolted the door shut after focusing her steely eyes on the man and telling him to not even consider the idea of sharing her bed.

But this was Jack. He made her feel safe and happy. And not just that. He had the ability to make her swoon. To make her tingle in all the right places. To make her feel like she wanted to be his bride in every way.

"My room is next door. I'll meet you for breakfast tomorrow. 7:30?" Jack remarked coolly as he walked away from the window and stood in the hotel room doorway.

Elizabeth was flabbergasted that he had reserved his own room. And she had to admit, a little disappointed. _Okay, a lot disappointed._

She realized that nothing was expected of her tonight. Not even cuddling together. Not even keeping each other company on top of the quilt. At the very least, she had imagined that she would sleep in the bed while he slept uncomfortably in the room's cheap chair or on the hard floor with a pillow.

"Of course. 7:30. In the morning. Yes, I'll be ready. But . . … um . . . Jack , when we get back to Coal Valley and tell people we're married. . . the town people will expect . . . we'll be expected to –", her voice trailed off as she found herself unable to say the words.

"To what?"

"To share a bedroom", she managed to squeak out. Her voice was unnaturally shrill.

"I thought we were just friends. Platonic as you put it. You wanted a husband who was nothing but a business arrangement." Jack's voice was strong and filled with contempt.

"Yes. That's true. I just wasn't sure what you . . . ", her voice trailed off again and she avoided looking at him in the eye. Nevertheless, she felt his eyes boring into her.

"Aaah, so you're wondering what I expect of you now that we're actually married. Well, let's just suppose I expect you to share my bed with me. Do you have a problem with that?"

When she remained silent, Jack scowled at her, mistaking her silence for an arrogant refusal of him.

"So you like the idea of being married but not the duties that go along with it?" he asked derisively. "Well, don't worry. You won't have to do your duty tonight."

The door slammed behind him as he walked out.

A confused and hurt Elizabeth went to the door to lock it behind him. As she turned the large metal key in the lock, she was surprised to find that her eyes had filled with tears which she had to wipe away to see the door clearly.

Elizabeth had the horrible sinking feeling that she had gained a husband and lost a best friend.

* * *

Jack, with his head downcast, sat on the side of the mattress in his room next door and ran one hand through his hair. He reached to the nightstand and picked up the glass. After leaving Elizabeth in her room, he had stopped at the bar downstairs and picked up two shots of whiskey.

 _What the hell did I just do?_

But he knew what he had done. He had married Elizabeth so she didn't marry someone else.

 _Why did she go through with it?_ he thought in stunned sadness.

He had waited all morning. He had given her every opportunity when faced with the reality of actually getting married to change her mind. He had waited. At first patiently. And then anxiously. And then angrily. But she hadn't changed her mind. He had thought that the long horse ride to Farmington would have given her plenty of time to realize how silly she was being. How wrong it was to get married for money or to prove a point to her family. But she hadn't.

She hadn't changed her mind as they rode through the woods and fields.

She hadn't changed her mind when he took his time to find the man to perform the ceremony.

She hadn't changed her mind as his eyes silently pleaded with her to come to her senses.

She hadn't changed her mind as they finally stood in front of the man with his clerical collar and recited their vows.

She gone through with it.

As Jack took a sip of whiskey, he was surprised to find that his eyes had filled with tears which he had to wipe away with his sleeve.

He had gained a wife and lost all respect for his best friend.

 **Up next: Chapter 5**


	15. Chapter 15 - Friends

**Chapter 5 - Friends**

Riding single-file on horseback through the countryside on their way back to Coal Valley, Elizabeth thought about what had transpired since yesterday. She had gotten married! She'd get her trust fund on her birthday! She'd show her family that she wasn't someone to be trifled with! They would never again have the opportunity to treat her like a child.

If only Jack was as pleased as she was about the marriage.

She and Jack had been married 18 hours and had barely spoken during that time. _Not the best way to start a marriage_ , she thought wryly.

She chose to pretend that his words to her last night had never occurred.

Elizabeth had been up since before dawn. By the time Jack had come to get her for breakfast, she had already been to the livery to pay the night's boarding fee, and had stopped by the hotel front desk, paying the charges for both her and Jack's rooms.

Now that she was no longer getting an allowance from her family, Elizabeth had been keeping tight control of her finances. She could barely afford the meager rent she insisted on paying Abigail or her other bills, but she had no intention of letting Jack pay for their expenses on this trip.

"Jack, can we stop for a bit? Just to stretch", she pleasantly called out to him. Jack pulled on the reins, stopping his horse, and then turning the animal around.

"Okay. Five minutes."

 _At least he's speaking to me,_ she thought ruefully as she jumped down from her own horse. She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small sack. "I've got a roll for each of us. I saved them from breakfast. I learned from you."

"From me?"

"Always be prepared."

As she walked over to Jack and handed him the food, she offered a smile and was rewarded with one from him.

"Do I say that?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Just about every day! 'A Mountie is always prepared", she quoted him. "W.W.M.M.S.F."

"W.W.M.M.S.F.? What the heck is that?" he asked with a curious smile.

"Water, Weapon, Matches, Medical Supplies, Shelter, Food", she explained before she took a bite of her roll. "I pay attention when a Mountie talks", she added with a teasing grin.

* * *

Two hours later, as they left their horses at the livery and made their way through Coal Valley, Elizabeth was grateful that the tension between her and Jack was gone. He had actually laughed at some of the jokes which she had told to keep him entertained while they rode. And in exchange for her bad jokes, he had proudly explained different fauna and flora to her.

Things weren't perfect but Jack's resentment of her had disappeared. He seemed to have largely forgotten the impetus for their quick marriage.

Until she decided to stop by the mercantile before going home.

"I'm just going to send a telegram", she said as she headed up the steps.

"Telegram?"

"I need to let my family know that we got married. Father can contact the family attorney tomorrow and let him know."

Jack scowled. "That's right. Let's not forget that the whole reason for this marriage was to prove something to your family and get your hands on your trust fund."

Before she could respond, Jack turned and walked away.

* * *

Elizabeth found him three hours later by the pond. "Jack? Is everything okay?" she asked as she bent her knees and took a seat on the grass next to him.

"Fine. Just enjoying how peaceful it is here", he answered politely.

"After dinner, I thought you could move some of your stuff over to my place. I told Abigail and she's okay with us sharing a room above the Café for now."

"I'm sleeping at the jail tonight. I'll be at your place early enough in the morning so there's no talk. Don't worry. People will think we're happily married."

"Jack!" she said with exasperation.

"What?"

"I -. I don't expect you to spend your nights at the jail house. We're married. I – I expect you to –", her voice trailed off.

"So you're willing to share a bed with me after all?" he asked with contempt in his voice.

She didn't know what to say. Why was he being so difficult? Why couldn't he just smile and explain that he just wanted to remain good friends while they were married? Why couldn't he hug her and tell her that they'd figure things out in time during this unusual marriage? Why couldn't he just romantically take her in his arms and kiss her? Goodness knows, she had thought of little else but that last possibility since the first time she had seen him.

Instead of doing any of those things, he had spent the last day bouncing back and forth between being aloof and being angry, with a smidgen of friendliness thrown in.

Elizabeth had enough of his rude attitude.

 _It's not like I forced him to marry me! He brought it up again after I had dropped the idea!_

Just the thought that Jack pretended not to be interested in her suddenly made her angry, and her face became flushed.

"I did NOT say that I would share a bed with you! But don't even pretend that you're not interested", she said bitterly. "You're a red-blooded man and I'm a fairly attractive woman who is now your wife! So don't act shocked that I'm wondering about our sleeping arrangements and what you're thinking!"

Jack gave her a cold stare before speaking.

"Well, you'll have to forgive me if I decline your bed. I always imaged that if I married, I would _make love_ to my wife. Not share a bed with a woman who picked the most convenient candidate. I'm afraid I'm not interested in what you have to offer."

Standing up from the grass, Jack didn't seem to care that Elizabeth felt as if she had just been stabbed in the heart.

"Jack", she gasped. Her eyes were wide with shock as she looked up at him.

"Sorry Elizabeth. I prefer a bride who thinks of how much she loves me while I touch her body. Not how much money she'll get for marrying me."

As Jack walked away, a stunned Elizabeth remained on the grass. Frozen by his words and by the look in his eyes.

She remembered how he used to look at her. All those times over the past few months. When she had come out of the coal mine. When he has seen her work with her students. When he had come into the Café and found her helping Abigail serve the customers. Even when she had hung her clothes on the wash-line. All those times, he had looked at her with pride. She had loved that look in his eyes.

Now he looked at her with disappointment.

She knew that Jack was angry with her, but also that he was angry with himself. And she finally understood why. She had taken the kindest and most honorable man she had ever met and convinced him to marry her against his better judgement.

During the long ride to Farmington, she had known that Jack was only marrying her to keep her from making a mistake and marrying a less honorable man.

And she had selfishly let him do it anyway.

As she watched him walk away into the sunset, Elizabeth realized that by marrying her, Jack had made two incredible sacrifices for her.

He had given up his idea of life as a single Mountie, and he had given up his dream of what an eventual marriage should be about. He had sacrificed so that Elizabeth could get what she wanted. Her trust fund.

And he regretted the choice he had made.

In addition to getting her hands on her trust fund, Elizabeth knew that she now had to repair her friendship with the man she was falling in love with.

* * *

Jack, using a circular motion, worked the brown polish on the cloth into every part of the boot. As he paid extra attention to the toe and heel, he felt bad that he had been so rude to Elizabeth, but he had never had another woman affect him they way she did.

He dipped his cloth into the small can of brown paste again and picked up the other boot, brushing off the dirt before attacking it with the cloth.

 _She's so stubborn and determined_!

 _She grew up so different from me._

Even though his childhood had not been free of tragedy, he had always known the unconditional love of his parents. He had grown up with cookies and milk during homework, hugs and games of chase, stories at bedtime. Despite his father being gone at times, and his mother being strict at times, he had never doubted that they loved him and were proud of him.

Elizabeth had had none of that. She had silk dresses and fancy hats. Tea parties and debutante balls. Jewelry and private tutors. But she never felt unconditional love. She never had the feeling of knowing her parents were proud of her for things she was proud of.

 _If she'd give me the chance- If she didn't care about the trust fund, I'd show her unconditional love. I'd show her how proud I am of her_. _Why can't she forget about money and about proving something to her stupid family?_

Jack, sitting on the side of his cot in one of the cells, stopped polishing his boot and looked up when he heard the door open. He looked curiously at Elizabeth as she cautiously walked into the jailhouse and slowly closed the door behind her.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked warily.

Jack didn't say anything but nodded.

"I apologize. I didn't imagine what you must be thinking. I'm sorry. I haven't been very appreciative. You're my friend and you married me as a friend. As a favor to me. I know I asked a lot and you're not asking for anything in return. I just wanted to say thank you."

"You're welcome. . . . And I'm sorry if I was a bit harsh. It's just been a long two days and this is all kind of sudden and new to me. I was pretty rude to you. You didn't deserve that."

Elizabeth pretended she didn't hear him apologize. She didn't want to remember the bitterness of his earlier words.

"I don't want you having to sleep at the jailhouse and sneaking back to me every morning so people won't get suspicious of our marriage. We can stay at the row house. It has two bedrooms. We can each have one and still be married. Keep up appearances."

Jack stared at her. Letting the idea swim around in his head. Wondering how she could make him feel so jumbled inside. As much as he was falling in love with her, he knew that he could never be with her as a husband should be with a wife. Not in this sham of a marriage forced by a trust fund.

"As friends? We'd live together as friends?", he finally asked.

Elizabeth nodded.

"Friends."

Jack gave her a warm smile. "Would I have to eat your cooking?"

 **Up next: Chapter 6**


	16. Chapter 16 - Sweet Pea

**Chapter 6 – Sweet Pea**

"Darn it! That hurts!" Elizabeth scowled and shook her hand. She hurried over to the sink and started pumping water with one hand while holding her other hand under the spurting stream. During their eight weeks of marriage, she had done her best to make a good home. As a result, she had had a fair share of injuries to prove it.

Jack walked across the kitchen and reached over her shoulder. Their bodies gently touched as he put his hand on the pump and took over the motion. "How bad is this one?"

"Not bad. I'll be fine. I just keep forgetting to use those darn potholders."

As Elizabeth continued to hold her red hand under the water, Jack looked around the kitchen. "I bought you two pairs so you'd always have them handy. Where are they?"

Elizabeth shrugged and looked sheepish. "I burned them."

Just chuckled and reached for a dry towel, handing it to Elizabeth. "Sit down. I'll get the salve."

As Elizabeth sat down and watched him, Jack went to the cupboard and took out the small jar of ointment and a rolled-up strip of bandage. He then pulled out a chair next to her and sat down.

"Gimme", he instructed as he held out his hand.

They both were quiet as Jack held her hand gently and massaged in the healing ointment. Elizabeth sniffed the air and relaxed her shoulders.

"You like the lavender scent, don't you?" Jack asked with a smile as he started to wind the bandage loosely over around her injured palm.

'Uh huh. I do."

"Perhaps you should stay out of the kitchen when I'm gone", he suggested as he tucked the end of the bandage under itself and released Elizabeth's hand.

"Gone? Where are you going? You just got back into town two days ago."

"I have to go to Montana for a few days. Maybe a week. Remember that robber I caught in Colvert City a while back? The guy that had committed all those bank robberies in Montana and escaped to Canada? He's finally going to trial in Bozeman. I need to go testify. I'll take the train and should be back in four or five days."

"Can I come with you?" The words were out of her mouth before Elizabeth had time to think.

"Come with me? To Montana?" Jack looked at her in surprise.

"I need to get away. My father is threatening to come visit to meet you and I don't want to deal with him. Or he'll send Charles on some stupid farce of a contract to check us out."

"Elizabeth, you can't run away from your troubles."

"I'm not running away. Okay, so maybe I am. But I don't want to deal with my family. I came all the way here to avoid them. Come on, it will be fun. I've never been to Montana."

"Elizabeth –"

"You always go away and leave me here. I need to get out of this tiny town just for a bit. See a city."

Jack chuckled. "I don't always go away and leave you. It's not that often and it's not like I'm out there on vacation when I'm on extended rounds. It's called work and I sleep in a tent. In the rain sometimes. While you stay here and work. And take your naps."

"Naps?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed how much you like your naps after a long day of teaching", he said with a grin.

"Come on, please? You'll be taking a train and staying in a hotel, won't you?"

"What about school?"

"There's the weekend, and most of the kids are sick with chicken pox anyway. I had to cancel classes for the next two days so the rest won't get sick."

When Elizabeth noticed Jack hesitate, she smiled "Pleeease."

"Fine", he laughed. "Pack a bag. One bag, One", he admonished her.

* * *

Montana was beautiful and Elizabeth loved everything about it. The mountains. The incredible blue lakes. The deep green forests.

Jack laughed as Elizabeth looked out the train window at the passing landscape and provided her continuous observations about its beauty.

"Elizabeth, it's not that different than lots of parts of Canada. Including where we live", he reminded her, but he found himself unable to stop smiling at her exuberance.

* * *

If he thought that the small city of Bozeman would squelch her enthusiasm, he was mistaken.

"Sweet Peas! They're everywhere!" Elizabeth exclaimed after they left the Bozeman train station and made their way by foot the short distance to their hotel.

She was right. The flowers did seem to be everywhere. Every business on Main Street was decorated with elaborate bunting and ribbons adorned with the climbing purplish-pink flower vines.

"Jack, there's a carnival! The Sweet Pea Carnival! " Elizabeth excitedly called out as they passed a poster nailed to an electrical pole. "It's the day after tomorrow! Can we go? Please?"

"If I'm finished with my testimony."

'Talk fast when you're on the witness stand", she instructed him as she practically skipped down the fragrantly scented street and walked into the hotel.

* * *

Jack didn't talk any faster than usual at the trial, but he finished his testimony in one day, leaving them a full day to explore the city and carnival. As they sat at the breakfast table the day after the court proceedings, Elizabeth quickly ate and urged Jack to hurriedly do the same.

"The hotel clerk said that there's a place outside of town, near the railroad, where we can walk through fields of sweet peas."

"Isn't it enough that they are on every table?" Jack asked as he picked up the vase in front of him. "And in our hotel room. And sold on every street corner. And that we are in the "Sweet Pea Capital of America". And that there are so many people in the city for the Carnival that we got the last hotel room available."

"No. I want to walk through fields of them. The clerk said that the best time to gather them is in the morning when the dew is still on them. That's when their scent is the sweetest."

"I forgot my hat upstairs. I'll meet you in the lobby in five minutes", she added happily as she stood up from her chair and held out her hand for the room key.

* * *

Elizabeth, standing in a field of flowers, picked two more delicate buds and handed them to Jack to hold for her while she sniffed another one and then put it behind her ear.

"I'm going to start calling you 'sweet pea'", Jack remarked with a smile.

 _She's beautiful_ , he thought to himself when she smiled back at him and then began picking more flowers and reciting facts to him.

During their short stay in Bozeman, she had learned everything she could about the city and the plant. At night, while she lay in the hotel bed, and he slept on the floor which she had softened with blankets, she talked to him endlessly about all she had learned and how much she liked to travel.

Jack could no longer deny that he was hopelessly in love with Elizabeth. And he suspected that she was also in love with him. Everything would be perfect if only her family money wasn't looming over them. Every time he started to tell her how he felt about her, something held him back. It was always there; the worry that she was only married to him so she could get her money. That she would divorce him as soon as she had access to the trust fund after her birthday. It hadn't escaped his notice that despite their meager incomes, she liked to spend money. It seemed that she was always wearing a new outfit or asking for more money for groceries despite the fact that they often ate at Abigail's Café. A small nagging part of him wondered if he would ever be enough for her.

"Jack?"

"Jack?"

"Sorry. I was just thinking. What'd you say?" He realized that she was standing in front of him, waiting for something as she looked at her watch.

"Do you have two pennies? We're close to the railroad tracks and there's another train scheduled in five minutes."

"Sure." Jack reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out some change. He held his palm out while Elizabeth looked through the coins and picked out two pennies.

"One for each of us", she remarked as they walked towards the train tracks.

Once they got to the tracks, Elizabeth squatted down and laid her penny on the steel rail before motioning for Jack to do the same.

"Come on now, Jack. You're the one that told me about this."

Jack smiled. "I said Tom and I used to do it as kids. I didn't say it actually works."

"Well, I hope it does. Promise you'll say your wish aloud. You told me that's what we're supposed to do."

"You really do remember everything I say don't you?" he chuckled in surprise.

"I told you that I – Jack! My hat!", she squealed as the wind picked up her hat from her head and blew it tumbling across the tracks and field.

"I'll get it. Although why you never remember to tie it on is beyond me."

Jack stepped over the far side of the wooden railroad crosstie and headed after the hat as Elizabeth continued to talk to him.

"So if it gets flattened, the wish will come true, but if it falls off the tracks from the vibration, it doesn't?" she called out questioning him.

The loud blast of the train whistle caused them both to look up and off into the distance.

"Stand back!' Jack yelled.

"Make your wish!" Elizabeth yelled back as the locomotive sped towards them.

"I wish you loved me and we were married for love. I want a real marriage with you" Elizabeth screamed as the long freight train barreled between them, hiding him from her view and giving her the courage to voice her most heartfelt wishes.

The engine's smokestack sent clouds of grey smoke into the otherwise pure blue sky. The ground trembled and Elizabeth's hair billowed away from her face from the wind made by the rushing train.

She was still smiling and feeling giddy when the last car of the speeding train passed by, revealing a smiling Jack standing across from her and holding her hat.

"Wait a minute to make sure they're not hot from the friction", he advised when he saw her reach down towards the rail to pick up the two flattened coins.

 _I know you didn't hear me, Jack. But it doesn't matter. I love you._

* * *

"I had a fabulous time", Elizabeth, called out as she stored her now empty suitcase under her bed while Jack, across the hall in his own room, put his shoes into his small closet.

They had spent hours at the Bozeman Annual Sweet Pea Carnival, dancing in the afternoon sun, eating a variety of foods, playing penny and nickel games, and mingling with the people.

Rushing hand-in-hand to the railroad station, they had barely made it in time to catch the late day train ride back home. Once on-board, Elizabeth had convinced Jack to join her in the dining car and sample the newest fads in cocktails. Sitting across from each other, glasses in hand, they had talked and laughed until Jack had finally escorted Elizabeth to their compartment.

Now that they were back in the row house, Elizabeth couldn't stop smiling at the past few days.

Carrying her dirty clothes into the hallway, she glanced down and grabbed at a falling sock without seeing Jack, who was coming out of his room.

"Careful", Jack said as he grabbed her around the waist to keep her from stumbling when she bumped into him and dropped the clothes to the floor.

Instead of immediately releasing her, he kept his hands against her body, and she caught her breath as they stood in each other's arms.

Neither one of them seemed to want to move away.

Unhurriedly, almost as if there was nothing in the world but the two of them, Elizabeth reached up and touched his face.

Jack remained still, his hands holding her, as she gently ran her finger along his cheek, feeling the stubble of his unshaven skin. Silently, she continued to move her finger until it reached his lips. They were warm and soft. Perfect for kissing.

She moved her gaze from Jack's lips to his eyes. She saw all she needed to see. His desire for her.

Slowly, Elizabeth tilted her face nearer to him. When Jack didn't move away, she tenderly brushed her lips against his. She moved the rest of her body even closer, nestling against him, and placed a hand on his chest, silently inviting him to continue with the kiss.

Jack pressed his mouth to hers and moved his hands to her head, keeping her mouth close to him. Not giving her the opportunity to move away. The way he held her, like she belonged to him, made Elizabeth go dizzy. Her mouth parted without thought and she knew that she wanted nothing more in her life than to always know the feeling of this man's lips on hers. His tongue feeling her.

He moved his mouth on hers with an incredible mixture of love and passion. She was aware of everything about him. The way his mouth tasted of spearmint, the faint smell of his soap, the feel of his hands as they touched her hair.

She had waited months for this and it was perfect.

Until he suddenly pulled away.

"Don't. Don't do this, Elizabeth", he said sadly as he stared at her.

Without another word, he turned and walked away.

Elizabeth stood in the upstairs hallway listening to the front door close behind him.

* * *

Jack looked up from his morning cup of coffee when Elizabeth came into the kitchen.

"Morning", he said formally.

"Morning"

"I'm going out of town. To Union City. Farmington. Blake township", he offered when he saw her looking at his saddlebag on the floor.

"How long will you be gone?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe three or four days."

"Okay. Well, have a good trip. I'll see you when you get back", she said with a fake smile plastered on her face. She quickly gathered her school books and hurried out of the house before the tears spilled down her face.

* * *

Jack had been gone four days. Four days of riding trails, sleeping in his tent, and thinking about Elizabeth.

As he took a seat at Abigail's Café he knew that he still wasn't ready to see her. He was glad that it was past the lunch hour and not late enough for dinner as he had the restaurant to himself.

The recent trip to Farmington had reminded him of the farce of a wedding. How weeks ago, they had stood in front of the man in the white clerical collar and said vows for the wrong reasons. Despite his best intentions, despite Elizabeth's motivations, Jack knew that somethings were not forgivable. There would always be a small lack of trust between them based on that day.

"Welcome back. What can I get for you, Jack?"

"Hey, Abigail. I saw kids playing in the street. Why no school today? Is Elizabeth okay?"

"She cancelled school for a few days. She went out of town."

"Out of town?"

"She had some business to take care of. She left a note for you. I'll go get it."

* * *

A worried Jack opened up the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper, noticing it was the sweet pea stationary which Elizabeth had insisted on purchasing in Bozeman because she had been so enamored with everything related to the flower. He recognized her familiar handwriting.

 _Dear Jack,_

 _I hope your trip went well. I've gone to Hamilton for a few days to speak with an attorney about obtaining a divorce or annulment. I'll do whichever is quicker. You can stay in the row house until the lease is up. I've already moved most of my belongings to my old room above the Café._

 _Your friend always, Elizabeth_

A stunned Jack looked up at Abigail. "Did you know about this?"

"I did", she replied sympathetically

"Why would she do this?!"

"I think it's a love letter."

"What the hell are you talking about?! I just told you that she's ending our marriage!"

"I know. But under the circumstances, I would consider that an act of love."

"I don't understand", Jack said, confusion on his face. "Why would she end our marriage before she gets her trust fund?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

When Jack just stared at her, Abigail continued.

"I just told you. Because she loves you."

"She loves the idea of being out from under her family's thumb. She loves the idea of the trust fund. She likes me. I'm her best friend."

"Oh, Jack. Don't be stupid. That girl has been in love with you since before you got married."

"Then why would she do this?"

"Because she wants you to be happy. And she doesn't think she can make you truly happy. She told me . . . about why you two got married. She hates what she's done to you; taking your honor and kindness and using it to get what she wanted. She's letting you out of the marriage. That letter from her - That's a love letter.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Jack was still sitting at the table. He had stared at the short note so often that he had each letter of her handwriting memorized. But he still didn't want to believe her words. She was ending it.

"You said that Elizabeth loves me. Why did you say that?" he asked when Abigail came to the table and refilled his coffee cup.

"She practically swoons when she sees you. She lights up whenever you walk in the room."

"We're friends."

"Do you know why she's so tired some days? Why she always takes a good long nap the first day that you're back in town"

Jack looked confused by the question. "To avoid me? Because she's used to a leisurely lifestyle? Because the students tire her out?"

"You're an idiot, Jack. It's because she doesn't sleep well when you're out of town. She's too worried about you. She stays here at the Café helping me clean up each night. And then she delays going home until as late as possible. She doesn't want to be alone in that row house without you. I've told her before that she could sleep here while you're gone, but she said it doesn't matter. She'd still worry about you while she lays in bed, wherever that bed is. Those days you're gone, she barely sleeps."

"She can't live without her family money", Jack said sadly, trying to rationalize why they couldn't be together. "Have you seen how many new clothes she's bought recently? She's worn a different blouse or skirt every day. She wouldn't be happy living on a Mountie and teacher's salary."

Abigail looked at Jack with exasperation. "Did you ever wonder why she's bought so many new clothes since she's been here?"

Jack furrowed his brows. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

"She's ruined half her wardrobe because of you."

"What are you talking about?

"Every day after school, she comes here to the Café. When you're still on rounds or doing paperwork. I've been teaching her to cook and iron. She's burned two skirts. Stained at least half a dozen blouses. And she doesn't give up. She has wiped away more than her share of tears when she doesn't think I'm looking, but she just keeps her chin up and plugs away. Asking more questions. Last week, she asked me how to make rabbit stew. I suspect that has something to do with you."

"It's one of my favorite", Jack mumbled. "I mentioned it to her once."

"But she doesn't need to learn all those things", he added quickly. "She has her trust fund coming up. Once she gets it, she can hire servants. Her birthday's in a few months. She could have stayed married just a bit longer and had it all."

Abigail sighed. "I don't think she wants to hire servants. I think she wants to be a good wife to you. At least she wanted to. Until she realized that she could never make you happy. As for having it all, I think she realized that she didn't have the most important thing. Your respect. Because she married you for the wrong reason."

Abigail gave Jack another sympathetic look. "She wants you to be with someone you truly love"

"I was", he said quietly.

Up next: Chapter 7.


	17. Chapter 17 -Guilt

**Chapter 7 - Guilt**

 _Now I know how Elizabeth feels not getting a good night's sleep_ , Jack thought with a scowl as he stood up from his desk and walked across the jailhouse floor.

He had spent a restless night thinking about the woman he loved. The same woman who, despite loving him, was filing for a divorce or an annulment. Unable to sleep, he had left their home before sun-up and walked the short distance to the jailhouse, thinking that possibly he could at least temporarily put her out of his mind by completing his monthly Mountie reports.

Jack picked up the metal coffeepot and realized that after having had three cups of coffee to drink, the pot was now empty. He sighed and set it back down on the small wood-burning stove.

 _I miss her. I miss her making the coffee in the morning. I miss her smiling and wishing me a good morning. I miss how she tries to make a decent breakfast. I miss how she looks at me. I miss her._

He looked out the window and then at the clock on the wall, wondering if she'd be coming home today. _Home? To what home? Her room above the Cafe?_

* * *

By the time Jack was back from his rounds twelve hours later, and walking up the steps of the row house, he still hadn't figured out what to say when he saw Elizabeth. He didn't even know if she was back in town yet.

As he walked in the front door, the creaking sound coming from the upstairs floorboards caught him by surprise. His pulse quickened with anxiousness as he took the steps two at a time.

* * *

She was standing on her tiptoes in front of her open and empty closet. The late evening sun was setting but it provided enough light through the window pane that Jack could see her long caramel colored hair and her perfect figure as she stood there.

Her back was to him and it was obvious that she hadn't heard him as she stretched her arms above her head and tried to reach something at the back of the shelf which was affixed above the wooden closet rod.

"Elizabeth", he said quietly, not wanting to startle her.

"Oh, my gosh, you scared me, Jack", she gasped with relief when she quickly twirled around and saw him standing in the doorway.

"I – . I – I'm just getting my hat. I left it here. I can't reach it", she added hesitantly.

"I'll get it for you."

Before she could respond, Jack had moved across the room and was reaching over her shoulder. He grasped her elaborate hat with its long water-stained ribbons off the shelf and handed it to her.

"Thank you."

"Elizabeth –"

"I think that should be everything", she interrupted quickly as she clutched her hat and moved away from him. She didn't want to be alone with him. It was too awkward.

"Elizabeth."

She couldn't refuse when he said her name like that. She never could. She stopped in the doorway and looked at him.

"Why? Why did you go to get a divorce?" he asked pitifully.

"Because you were right. I shouldn't have married you like that. I don't need my grandfather's trust. I can survive off my salary. And I don't need to prove anything to my family. You were right about me all along. I can do what I want and be proud of myself."

"What happens now?"

"We go on with our lives. I met with the family attorney. He'll handle everything. He needs our marriage license, and I didn't have it. I explained to him that you sent it off to your superiors so that I'd be listed as your spouse and we haven't gotten it back yet. He said he'd contact the Mounties and get it. If you're willing to sign an affidavit that we . . . that we . . . haven't consummated the marriage, we can get an annulment. Otherwise, he'll just file for divorce if you're okay with that."

Jack, not knowing how to respond and ease the pain in the room, just nodded.

"We can tell the town that we realized we had made a mistake. I'll take the blame. You can tell everyone that I was a terrible homemaker. A bad cook. I spent all my time on schoolwork. Whatever you want."

"I won't say bad things about you. . . .even if you are a terrible cook", he added with a small grin.

She couldn't help but smile back at him. "Thank you."

"You should have told me that you were going to go to Hamilton."

Elizabeth gave a slight shake of her head. "No. It was better this way."

"We could have talked about it."

"I made the mess and I wanted to fix it."

They looked at each from across the room. Only seven or eight feet separated them but it seemed like an ocean of space.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about everything. Truly I am. I'll see you around."

She turned to walk out but his voice stopped her again.

"Elizabeth –"

"Everything's okay", she interrupted. She didn't want his pity and she didn't need it.

"I had a long talk with my family. I told my father how I felt. How hurt I've been by his actions and his words over the years. My mother actually supported me."

"What did he say?"

"That he was sorry. I still can't believe it myself. He told me that my being gone made him realize how much he loved me. And that he's proud of me. For going off and doing something on my own." Elizabeth shrugged and a half smile formed on her face. "After all this time, he said that he's proud of me."

"Did you tell them about us? The end of the marriage?"

"I did. I said we had rushed into things and realized it was a mistake. I didn't blame you. I told them that I had met with the attorney about a divorce."

"How did they take it?"

"Father said that no Thatcher had ever being divorced and he didn't want the family disgraced. And then my mother said if he didn't start supporting me some more, I wouldn't be the only one filing for divorce and that my father would find himself as the first male Thatcher to have his wife divorce him."

"Your mom sounds pretty decent."

"I think she's realizing a lot. About me. About the role of a modern woman."

"And the trust fund? You won't get it now. Now that you're not going to be married on your birthday. Are you okay giving it up?"

"I am. I've got my salary and a roof over my head at Abigail's."

Elizabeth gave a small laugh. "Other men are safe from me. I won't be chasing after them. You're the last man I'll ever force to marry me."

"It wasn't so bad. We had some good times", Jack acknowledged affectionately.

Elizabeth smiled. "We had some _great_ times."

"We did have some _great_ times", he agreed with a smile even as his heart felt like it was tearing apart at losing her.

"Jack, I will always consider you to have been my dearest friend. I don't think I could have made it here in Coal Valley without you."

"You would have. But it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun or exciting. Especially with you practically poisoning me with some of your meals", he grinned.

"You brat!" she exclaimed with a snort of laughter as she crossed the room and began hitting him with her hat.

"Hey, stop", he laughed and grabbed her around the waist, holding her in his arms.

Just the two of them. Together in their home.

"You were a good husband", she said quietly as she looked at him in the dim light as the sun went below the horizon.

"You were a good wife." His voice was low and honest _._

"I should get going. . . . It's dark and I need to get back to the Café. . . You probably want this place to yourself now", her voice trailed off as he slowly lowered his lips towards hers.

"I love you", he said breathlessly as he claimed her lips with his own.

His mouth parted hers and she welcomed him. She dropped her hat to the floor and clung to him, eagerly returning his kisses and intensifying his need for her.

Their warm mouths refused to release one another while his hands began to roam along her narrow waist, loosening her blouse.

She ran her fingers through his short hair, keeping him close. The longer they touched the more they needed each other.

As she urged him on with her kisses, Jack moved his hands to the front of her clothing. His fingers opened the small pearl buttons while his mouth now moved to travel on her newly exposed skin.

They shuffled the short distance across the floor until the back of her legs pressed against the bed which was bare of its linens. With impatience, they moved down until they were laying on the mattress.

His hands moved along her hips, pressing her to him and she found herself wrapping one of her legs against Jack's.

Elizabeth was surprisingly not nervous and her hands pushed down his suspenders and untucked his flannel shirt from the waistband of his slacks. She had never touched a man like this before, but it felt right. It was Jack. The man she loved. Her husband.

She eagerly undid his shirt's buttons and then pushed her palms under his tee-shirt, moving her fingers along his skin and taut muscles.

Tilting her head back into the mattress, Elizabeth, craving his touch, exposed more of her body to his kisses.

After he had pulled aside her blouse and tugged the long sleeves off her arms, Elizabeth arched her back off the mattress and struggled with the snaps of her corset, releasing her body and throwing the constricting garment to the floor.

She felt one of his warm hands move under her long skirt, and glide up her leg. Touching her knee and then moving higher to her thigh. When Jack finally kissed the soft white swell of her breasts after all these months of longing, she sighed in pleasure.

* * *

Her sigh.

Her sigh of exquisite pleasure. Of her desire for him.

It was as if the sound broke him from a trance and he suddenly pulled back. He stared at her before looking away.

Quickly shifting his body off of hers, his lowered his feet to the floor and sat on the edge of the mattress, causing it to sink in slightly. He hung his head down and shook it sadly.

"We can't do this", he said hoarsely.

"Of course we can. We're married, silly", she said with a light-hearted but puzzled laugh.

"We can't do this", he repeated.

There was no laughter to his voice. Just the stern harshness of reality.

A stunned Elizabeth felt like her world had just been jumbled about inexplicably and she wondered if she was missing something important.

Her voice was still breathy from his touch when she spoke.

"I don't understand."

He stood up from the bed and tucked his wrinkled shirt back into his slacks, fumbling with the buttons in the darkness.

"Jack!" she yelled out again when he didn't say anything.

"Elizabeth, I want you. I've wanted you more than you can imagine. I've wanted you since before we had the marriage ceremony. But we can't do this", he finally said.

Elizabeth sat up in bed. She had no idea what was happening. All she knew was that he had said he loved her, he had said he wanted her. And he was walking away.

"Jack. Please. What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry. I need to go."

"No!" she demanded.

Her voice echoed in the room so she softened it when she spoke again.

"Please don't leave. I won't hold you to the marriage. I won't trap you. I promise. I – I just want to know this with you. Just once at least before the marriage ends."

"We can't. I'm sorry. It's not right."

"Did you marry me for my money?" she asked in confusion as she pushed her long tousled hair from her face.

"No, of course not," he said in disgust.

"Then why can't we be together this one time? I trust you. If you didn't marry me for my money, you married me because you had feelings for me. And now you love me. I know you do. I love you too. Is that what you want to hear? Because I do love you."

Jack walked across the room, leaving her on alone on the bed in the darkness with her heart racing and her chest moving in and out rapidly.

"I love you", he said without turning to look at her. "Please remember that I love you."

"I can stop the divorce proceedings", she offered quickly, wondering if that was what bothered him.

"No. You don't need to."

A befuddled Elizabeth sat up straight. "Jack, why did you marry me?" she asked before he could walk out of the room.

He paused and put his hand on the door frame as if needing it for support. The guilt was too much and he didn't want to face her.

He thought about how weeks ago they had stood in front of the man in the borrowed white clerical collar. Despite his best intentions, despite Elizabeth's motivations, Jack knew that somethings were not forgivable. There would always be a lack of trust between them.

She would never forgive him.

"Jack, why did you marry me?" she asked again.

"I didn't."

"I didn't", he repeated sadly as he still refused to look in her direction.

"Of course you did. We're married," she exclaimed in confusion.

"That's just it, Elizabeth. We're not married. We never have been."

Without another word, Jack walked out the door.

 **Up next: Chapter 8**

 **Dear Readers: While I'm working on the next chapter, you can check out the much more light-hearted and very fun story of "Reversal of Fortune". If it doesn't make you laugh, well . . . send me a message and I'll work harder!**


	18. Chapter 18 - The Hat

**Chapter 7 – The Hat**

Elizabeth sat stunned for a moment and then jumped from the bed and looked out the window, watching the man she thought had been her husband walk down the street in the rising moonlight. His back was turned and it was too dark to have seen his face anyway, but there was no mistaking the sadness in his gait.

 _Not married?! He can't be serious. He must have meant not married for the right reasons. But we're still married. Aren't we?_

The more she thought about it, the more Elizabeth realized Jack had been telling her the truth.

They had never been married.

It all made sense now. The way that Jack had wanted to get married in a town where she didn't know anyone. The quick ceremony. The way the man performing the ceremony had tugged at his clerical collar as if he wasn't used to wearing it. The money exchanging hands. The marriage license which she had signed quickly and never seen again. How he had rejected her when they had kissed in the hallway the night they were back from Montana. How he had refused to make love to her.

In a daze, Elizabeth stumbled back to the bed, stubbing her toe on the nightstand. She sat on the edge of the mattress in the same spot where Jack had been sitting less than five minutes earlier. _How could he do this to me?_

 _We shared a bed together! Well . . .not 'together-together' as a husband and wife, but still, we fell asleep in my bed . .. in our night clothes . . . that night that I had the nightmare after reading Edgar Allen Poes' A Tell-Tale heart. He was so sweet when he had rushed in here. And how he lay next to me. Talking to me about silly things until I fell asleep. Making me feel safe._

 _He didn't even tease me until the next morning at breakfast when he made that silly thump thumping sound under the table._

Bending down, Elizabeth picked her corset of the floor. She looked at it and then dropped it on the mattress and reached for her blouse instead. There was no need to put her corset back on tonight. She would walk back to Abigail's alone in the darkness. What did her figure matter when her heart was confused and breaking.

 _How could he do this to me?_

Her feet moved down the stairs, one in front of the other, without the need for conscious thought as she remembered the times that she and Jack had seen each other barely dressed when they had passed each other in the hallway. How they had sleepily stumbled in their nightclothes to the outhouse in the morning. His shy smile. Her heart beating erratically in her chest.

 _How could he do this to me?_

As Elizabeth passed the couch in the parlor, she stooped down and gathered up her shawl. The couch was old and worn and when they had moved in, she had insisted on putting a thin blanket and two throw pillows on it to make it look newer and fresh. They had fallen asleep together on this couch. Some nights with her head resting on his shoulder. Other evenings, she had covered him with the blanket when he had drifted to sleep with a book resting on his chest. It had felt so right. So perfect.

 _How could he do this to me?_

She took a last look around the house. They had eaten meals together at the small table in the kitchen. He had tended to her cuts and burns from her attempts at cooking. She had sat in the chair with the spindled back and he had consoled her while she cried after the neighbor's cat had given birth and the runt of the litter had died in Elizabeth's hands. At the time, she had thought that she had never met a more caring man than Jack.

 _How could he do this to us?_

They had paraded around as husband and wife. Not just in Coal Valley.

In Montana, they had laughed and danced in the street and he had introduced her to everyone as Mrs. Elizabeth Thornton.

He was her best friend.

And he had lied to her.

For ten weeks, he had lied to her.

* * *

"I left you some soup in the kitchen if you're hungry. Did you find your hat?" Abigail looked up from her recipe book as the door opened and Elizabeth walked in.

"Elizabeth?"

"I'm going to bed. Good night, Abigail." Elizabeth's voice was calm and distant as she passed by her friend and headed to the staircase.

"Elizabeth, is everything okay?"

"I'm fine." Elizabeth replied in a monotone voice as she walked up the steps.

There were no tears to be shed; she was too numb.

* * *

Elizabeth, lying in her bed, looked over at the clock ticking on her nightstand but it was far too dark to see the numbers or the hands pointing at them. She knew it was late. It has been a long time since she had heard the last of the dinner customers leave the Café downstairs and Abigail lock up for the night.

When she heard drunk miners leave the Saloon as the bartender kicked them out after last call for drinks, Elizabeth crawled out of bed. _It must be_ _midnight_.

She wrapped a blanket around herself and padded across the floor to the window. Looking out the thin glass pane, she saw the jailhouse across the street. A small orange glow, emitting from a lantern, shone through the jail's front window. _He's awake. Good. I'm glad the bastard can't sleep_.

Elizabeth stood there in the darkness, ignoring the chill in the air. Watching straglers from the Saloon stumble down the street. Her breath caught when she saw the jailhouse door open and his figure was illuminated from the light behind him. Jack stood in the doorway, making sure that the men heading home didn't cause any trouble.

"Constable!" The town's new pastor's voice rang out as he walked past the jail and waved pleasantly towards the doorway.

Elizabeth couldn't hear Jack's response, but she watched as the pastor stopped and the two men spoke for a moment. Whatever Jack said caused the pastor to decide not to go directly home despite his long day. Another citizen, this time the town's likeable constable, needed guidance.

Elizabeth watched as the man approached Jack and then went inside with him, closing the door to the building.

 _That's right. Now you need a pastor. You certainly didn't think you needed one on our wedding day!_ she seethed.

After another ten minutes, Elizabeth finally turned from the window and climbed back into bed. She was no longer numb. She was now just angry.

* * *

The afternoon sun was bright and warm, which Jack took as a good omen as he nervously walked across the street, barely acknowledging the people walking by who waved to him. Last night, he had spent spent thirty minutes talking to the pastor. As he passed the children running down the street at the end of the school day, he hoped that Elizabeth was as understanding as the pastor had been.

 _I need to see her. I need to explain._

 _I ran out and left her alone in a dark cold house. Without an explanation. God, I'm such a jerk!_

* * *

"How could you?!"

"I didn't want you marrying anyone else", Jack explained for the third time as he paced in her parlor. The first two times he had tried explaining, Elizabeth had been angrily slamming books closed and clearing her small writing desk in an attempt to avoid looking at him that he wasn't even sure she had heard him.

"What difference did it make to you?! It would have been better for you! I would have stopped harassing you!"

"I couldn't let you do it!"

"It wasn't your choice to make! It was mine!" Elizabeth yelled at him as she threw a book on the couch, where it bounced off the cushion and fell to the floor.

"You were making a stupid choice!"

"How dare you?!" She froze in her tracks and gave him a steely glare.

"I didn't mean stupid. I'm sorry. But it was stupid because –"

"Shut up! Just shut up!" she screamed. "You act like you're better than me! I would rather make a stupid choice about marrying for money than be a lying manipulator like you! At least I was honest."

"It wasn't like that! I wasn't trying to manipulate you. I mean I was. But not for selfish reasons. I was doing it for you."

"What did you hope to accomplish? Other than make a fool out of me?"

"Can you please just sit down so I can explain? Please. . . . Please?"

When Elizabeth angrily crossed her arms against her chest and plopped down on the couch, somehow still managing to look like a lady, Jack felt a glimmer of hope that she would forgive him.

"I hoped that on our long ride to Farmington, you would change your mind. You would realize that it wasn't a good idea to get married just to get your hands on a trust fund or to prove a point to your family. And then when you hadn't changed your mind, I arranged for that guy from the bar –"

"A guy from the bar?! I was married by a _guy_ from a _bar_?!"

Jack tried to soothe her bristling mood by lowering his voice and speaking calmly. "He agreed to pretend to marry us. I figured that after the ceremony, you would regret having gotten married. And I wanted you to not be stuck in a marriage that you didn't want. I knew that one day, you'd want to marry someone for real and you'd regret having had our quickie marriage. I kept waiting for you to change your mind. To regret what we had done so I could tell you it was all a farce. But you never did."

"How long would you have let it continue?"

Jack hesitated and ran his hand nervously through his hair.

"I don't know. . .. I liked being married to you. I liked being your husband. I fell in love with you. I just – I just couldn't let you make love to me without knowing the truth", he said quietly.

"And just what did you think I would do when you told me the truth?", she asked in a cold voice.

"I -. I - , " he stumbled to find the words. "At first, I thought we wouldn't be married more than a day or two and that you would thank me when I told you. You'd be grateful."

"You jackass." Her voice was dripping with anger. "You treated me just like every other man in my life has. Like I'm too stupid to take care of myself."

"No! Don't say that. Please don't say that. I'm not like your father or grandfather or any guy that's tried to court you in Hamilton. Please don't say that. It wasn't –"

"Just get out. You've made enough of a fool of me."

"Elizabeth –"

"Get out!" she screamed.

* * *

"He treated me like a fool", Elizabeth complained as she fingered the cookie crumbs on the china plate in front of her. She shook her head when Abigail offered to refill her teacup.

"No, he didn't. He treated you better than any other man in the circumstances would have. Any other man would have married you for your money and expected you be a wife in every way."

"How can you take his side?"

"Because he loves you. He honestly loves you."

"There's nothing honest about his love for me", Elizabeth said bitterly.

"Elizabeth, he had good intentions. He just got a little carried away in trying to protect you from making a bad decision."

"A _little_ carried away? He led me to believe that we were married for ten weeks! I hate to imagine what he would have done if he had gotten a _lot_ carried away."

Abigail sighed. "You used him. He lied to you. I'm not sure which is worse. All I am sure about is that you two love each other."

* * *

The dawn of the new day brought new hope for Jack. As he walked across the street, he naively hoped that Elizabeth's anger would have dissipated.

When Abigail looked up from the counter, and saw Jack walk in the door, he didn't like the look she gave him.

Jack quickly gave up all hope that Elizabeth had forgiven him when Abigail looked at him sympathetically and shook her head.

"She was still pretty mad when she left for school this morning."

"I'm not giving up. I know we weren't legally married, but I felt like she was my wife. I felt like we were married."

Jack hung his head down and looked at the coffee in his cup which Abigail had poured him as she finished preparing for the upcoming breakfast crowd of customers.

"When we were in Montana . . . "

Jack's voice was sad and so low, that Abigail had to pause stirring the scrambled eggs to hear his words

" . . . .I wished that I was married to her for real. That we had married for love."

"Did you tell her?"

Jack shook his head. "I yelled it aloud. We were at the train tracks making wishes and the train came between us. It was so loud barreling between us that she couldn't hear me. I knew she couldn't hear me but I yelled it anyway. Because I wanted it to be true. . . . I don't care that our wedding wasn't legal. She's my wife."

"What are you going to do?"

Jack set his cup down on the table and sat up straight with a determined look. "I'm going to get my wife back."

* * *

"Ooh, look at this one. Isn't it beautiful?" Elizabeth asked that afternoon as she held up a light blue felt hat with stiff spiky plumes and soft feathers. After a day with a classroom of students, she was thrilled to look through her new possessions and take her mind off of her troubles and her work.

"Are those ostrich feathers?" Abigail asked in amazement as Elizabeth had taken one exquisite item after another out of the small crate which had arrived on the late afternoon stagecoach and was now sitting in the middle of the parlor floor.

Elizabeth nodded. "They are!" She gave a little laugh. "Mother said my clothes had gotten very shabby and if I was going to live in this small coal town as a divorcee, I was going to at least still look like a stylish lady."

"Hello, Elizabeth. Abigail."

The sound of his voice in the room was like a button. Immediately rattling Elizabeth's calmness and making her suddenly feel jittery and unnerved.

Jack tried to keep his own nervousness out of his voice even as he felt his heart beating frantically when he walked through the kitchen doorway and into the parlor.

He had prepared all day about what to say to Elizabeth but the moment he saw her standing there, he forgot every single thing he had planned to say.

"Hello, Jack. Elizabeth received a crate of presents from her parents this morning", Abigail said with a smile while Elizabeth remained stone-faced and silent.

"Did you want to stay for dinner in the Café? I don't open for another hour but I'd be happy to whip up something for you."

"Thank you, Abigail. That would be very nice of you."

Jack turned and looked at Elizabeth, who was now staring intently at her hat and making a concerted effort to pretend that the Mountie standing in her parlor did not exist.

"That's a nice hat", he offered.

"Yes, it is."

Elizabeth placed the hat on her head and looked in the mirror, admiring her reflection while remaining cool to Jack.

"You have a pretty hat already. It's at our place. You left it there the other night."

"Well, maybe I don't want that hat any more", she said curtly as she took off the hat and ran the ostrich feathers between her fingers.

"Why don't you want it anymore?"

"I just don't."

"Your affections can't just change like that. Not that quickly."

"I don't see it the same way as I used to."

"You love that hat. It's your favorite."

"It is not. It's no different than any other hat."

"It is too your favorite. You said it fit you perfectly and made you feel special. More than any other hat."

Abigail looked curiously at the young couple. She had the no idea why they were discussing a hat when they should be discussing their marriage.

"It's ruined", Elizabeth coldly reminded Jack.

"It's not ruined. It's just a little bit water stained on the ribbons and bent from when it blew across the field. But it's not ruined. And it's still your favorite."

Elizabeth continued to avoid looking at Jack as he stared at her. His voice got bolder as he realized that at least she wasn't screaming at him.

"I know you love it. Can't you just look past the damage?" he asked hopefully.

"No I can't. I can't trust it. It let me down."

"The knot was just never tied right. That's all. If you tied the knot right, it would never leave you." He knew what he was asking. He was asking to marry her for real.

"It's too late."

A look of realization came over Abigail's face. _So they are talking about their marriage_ , she thought as she quietly snuck out of the room. _Why can't they just come right out and say it?!_

"I don't think it's too late. If you have something good that you love, you don't give up on it. . . . I'd like to try."

"I don't much care about what you'd like at this point."

"So that's it? You're just going to forget about the hat you love and move on with another", he challenged her.

"I didn't say I was going to move on with another!" Elizabeth yelled in frustration before throwing the hat onto the couch and storming out of the room.

* * *

Elizabeth, waiting impatiently for the clerk to hand her the mail, was tired of the curious looks that the town citizens had been giving her over the past few days. Only Abigail and the pastor knew the true reason why Elizbeth had moved out of the row house, and Elizbeth was not about to let the rest of the town know of her humiliation. She'd deal with that later. Since she had stormed out of the room two days earlier, leaving Jack in the parlor, he hadn't tried to see her.

"Here you go Mrs. Thornton. Um . . . there's one piece of mail for your husband. I don't suppose you'd mind giving it to him?"

Elizabeth smiled pleasantly. "Of course, not. I'll be happy to give it him."

* * *

The jailhouse was empty and Elizabeth couldn't decide if she was happy about that or not. She set the envelope down on the desk and glanced at the other items already laying there.

Strewn across the desk blotter were a handful of colored pencils. She pushed aside the brown and purple ones that were laying on top of Jack's open sketchpad, revealing a page of doodles.

Interspersed between his drawings of flowers, a hat, the row house, and what she recognized was a rendering of her own face, Elizabeth saw that Jack had scrolled WWMMSF in large fancy letters.

Elizabeth recognized the initials. They were how she remembered what Jack needed as a Mountie for every trip. Water. Weapon. Matches. Medical Supplies. Shelter. Food.

Only that's not what he had written this time.

He had taken the initials she used to remember what he needed and he had changed what they represented.

Elizabeth picked up the sketchpad and felt her anger at him lessen as she silently read the words.

She didn't hear the door open and close. Or his footsteps as he walked towards her. But she heard his voice as he stood watching her and he spoke aloud the words he had written.

"WWMMSF. Wedding. Wife. Marriage. Mate. Sweet pea. Family."

"The initials are supposed to stand for your basic necessities," she admonished him.

"They do", he said simply.

"That's all I think about now", he added when she had remained silent as she continued to stare at the drawing.

"Well, that's just stupid. You're liable to get yourself eaten by coyotes. Or die of dehydration or exposure," she said flippantly as she set down the sketchpad on the desk.

"I was just dropping off a piece of mail for you. The town doesn't know that we aren't married for real and I haven't decided how I want to handle that yet. I would appreciate it if I could count on your discretion."

'Elizabeth, don't you care about me? About us?" he asked sadly.

"I care. About me. Not so much about you", she responded with a casual shrug before walking past him.

It was all he could do not to reach out and grab her gently by the arm. Touch her. Pull her into an embrace. He was not going to give up on them.

And so he did what he wanted to do. He touched her.

She felt her body begin to quiver when he put his hand lightly on her arm.

"Elizabeth", he said quietly.

That was all he had to say. When he said her name like that it made her body ache.

She realized that it literally made her body ache. As if she had a gully in her torso, spreading down the center of her body that needed to be filled by him.

She froze in place, refusing to look at him as they stood next to each other. She felt his eyes on her and despite her anger at him, she couldn't deny that she wanted him to be looking at her. She wanted to be touched by him.

Jack moved even closer to her side. So close that she could feel the warmth from his body and smell the faint scent of his soap.

Neither one of them spoke as if they each knew that when they made a sound, whatever they said, it would take away this moment and remind them of the past few days.

He moved from her side until he was standing in front of her, placing a hand on each of her arms. Their bodies were so close that they could share a heartbeat.

She kept her head down, her eyes focusing on the shirt button in front of her. She was aware of every breath she was taking. She was aware of every breath that he was taking. That he was breathing in the soft almost imperceptible smell of her lavender shampoo as he gazed down at her.

"I love you."

His voice brought her back to reality as she knew it would.

The spell was broken. They weren't a couple in love sharing a romantic evening. They were a man and woman in turmoil.

She looked up at him briefly and then moved away, leaving his hands hanging in space.

Elizabeth voice was cool and calm with just a hint of bitterness when she responded.

"Which part of me do you love? That part that was too stupid to realize that we were never married?"

Jack collapsed into his chair as the door slammed shut behind her.

 **Up next: Chapter 9**


	19. Chapter 19 - School Lessons

**Chapter 9 - School Lessons**

Jack bent his head to the side. With his right hand, he rubbed his aching shoulder as he walked across the street to the Saloon. It had been a long day. He had tracked and killed a coyote with mange that was bothering some farmers, pulled a shoulder muscle while moving a fallen tree, helped a farmer find a lost calf, and muddied his pants when he slipped and fell on the wet ground. He needed a warm meal and a bath.

But first, he wanted to see Elizabeth, who had managed to avoid him since the incident at the jailhouse when she had dropped off his mail two days earlier. Jack had high hopes that after this cooling off period, she would be able to think about having a relationship with him.

"Gabe? Where's Mrs. Thornton?" Jack asked in surprise as he looked around the Saloon and saw the lone boy gathering up school books and pushing chairs up against the tables.

"She walked Annie home. She wasn't feeling good and thought she was going to throw up so Mrs. Thatcher - I mean Mrs. Thornton - walked her home. I told her I'd straighten up."

"That was nice of you."

"I like helping Mrs. Thornton. She's real nice", Gabe remarked as he walked over to the chalkboard and picked up a white cloth hanging on one side of the wooden frame.

Jack paused to look at the writing on the board before Gabe wiped it away.

"That's a pretty complicated math problem", he remarked with a smile.

"It was long all right. But we figured it out. I'm good at math. Sixty seconds times sixty minutes times twenty four hours is 86,400. And 86,400 seconds times seven days in a week is 604,800. And 604,800 times ten weeks is 6,048,000."

"Why was Mrs. Thornton asking you to figure this out?" Jack asked warily when he realized that ten weeks corresponded to the length of time which he and Elizabeth had lived together as a married couple.

Gabe shrugged as he started clearing away the numbers written in white chalk. "I figured it had something to do with a case you were working on."

"A case I was working on?"

"Yeah. You know, a criminal. 'cuz when we finished the multiplication, I heard Mrs. Thornton say 'he was lying every second of every day. He lied more than six million times.' Sounded like a pretty bad dude to me. I hope you catch him."

A discouraged Jack couldn't think of anything to say in response so he just stood there as Gabe finished wiping the board and then gathered his own belongings.

"See you around, Constable", the thirteen-year old boy said pleasantly as he walked out of the Saloon.

* * *

Two days later, Abigail, putting a tin of muffins into the oven, looked up as Elizabeth came into the kitchen for breakfast.

"You're up early."

"I want to get to school early and review some more ideas I wrote up for later this week. Is this toast for me?" Elizabeth asked as she took the browned bead from the toaster and brought it over to the table.

Now that she had decided that she would never marry, Elizabeth had been throwing herself into schoolwork, much to the chagrin of the students who were now feeling overworked.

"It is. What's on the agenda for the students today?"

"Book report day. Last week, I had each student select a book from my personal library. They could choose whatever they wanted; it's going to be interesting to hear what they read and if they liked it so far."

"Have fun."

* * *

"Sally Ann, why don't you go first?" Elizabeth suggested with a smile as she looked at the 16 year-old student.

"I'm reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo", the girl began as she looked at the report in her hand. "It's really long and I haven't finished it. But I wrote about what I've read so far. It's about a peasant named Jean Valjean, and he goes to prison for five years for stealing bread for his starving sister. Basically, he's the hero. He did something bad but he did it for the right reasons. He's a really good guy. If people would just listen to his reasons and -

"Sally Ann, why don't we stop there. You can turn in your written report. Let's hear from some of the other students."

Sally Ann looked puzzled but carried the pages of her report to the Elizabeth's desk and then sat back in her own seat.

"Judith."

Judith stood up, straightened her skirt, and began reading. "I'm reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. In one scene, the hero, Mr. Darcy, pays for Elizabeth's sister to get married and he doesn't tell Elizabeth because he doesn't want her to feel indebted to him. So basically, he's lying to her but not for his own gain. He's doing everything 'cuz he loves Elizabeth. But she's just too proud to admit she loves him. Or maybe she's the prejudiced one. I'm still not sure. But Mr. Darcy is dreamy."

Elizabeth stared at Judith with wide eyes and shook her head slightly as the girl carried her paper to Elizabeth's desk and then sat back down.

"Marcus, can you please stand up and tell us what you read?"

"I read Wild Swans by Hans Christian Anderson. It's a fairy tale. I thought it was going to be about these wild swans that go around attacking things, which would be pretty neat, but it wasn't. It's this story about this witch who puts a spell on a girl's brothers. In order to end the spell, the girl has to make a shirt for each of her brothers out of this plant that stings her. And she has to keep silent the whole time. Even though she was in terrible pain and is going to be killed, she refused to speak out. It's like the hero would rather live with the pain than have to speak and hurt someone. Stupid if you ask me but I guess that's love. You know, doing something for someone else and keeping silent about it."

"Class dismissed", Elizabeth said feebly as she rang the bell on her desk.

* * *

Abigail, holding a fresh cup of tea in one hand, used her other hand to pull out the chair across the kitchen table from Elizabeth. She sat down and stared intently as her friend.

"Elizabeth, you can't go on like this."

"Like what?" Elizabeth asked in surprise as she looked up from her paperwork.

"You've gone from being numb to being angry to pretending you don't care about Jack when we both know that you are in love with him."

"What am I supposed to do?!"

"Stop punishing him."

"I'm not punishing him!" Elizabeth retorted hotly.

"Yes, you are. And I understand why you're upset with him. But you can't let your pride dictate your future or you'll end up miserable."

"What do you suggest? I just forget about him lying to me or I just forget about him? Because I can't decide between the two."

"I want you to close your eyes and imagine three different scenarios", the older woman instructed. "Go ahead. Put aside your papers and close your eyes."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows skeptically. "This is supposed to help me how?"

"Just do it."

"Fine." Elizabeth leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "What am I supposed to imagine?"

"First, imagine a year from now. Jack moved away a long time ago and you are still living here in Coal Valley. Tell me what you see."

"I'm working hard at school. . . I stand outside and watch the students at recess. Then they fall asleep while I explain math after lunch. My eyes are tired. . . I come back here and spend the evening preparing lessons for the next day while you clean up the Café. I look - I look drab. . . My life isn't quite as fulfilling as I'd like. In fact, it's downright boring." Elizabeth frowned as she finished talking.

"Now I want you to imagine that instead of staying in Coal Valley, you have moved back to Hamilton where you are married to a gentleman of high society. What do you see?"

"Do I have to do this?"

"Yes!"

Elizabeth kept her eyes shut and began talking as she envisioned her possible future.

"I'm in a very pretty dress in my front parlor. There's beautiful furniture all around me and a new electric chandelier above me. Thick velvet drapes are on either side of the large window. . . . My husband comes home from the office and kisses me on the neck, but I shrug him away as I look at fabric samples for our sofa. I don't really want him touching me. . . . I can't decide between the plaid and the striped fabric and I keep looking back and forth at the samples. . . The butler comes in and asks me if I want a cup of tea, but I tell him that I'd rather have a strong brandy."

As she spoke, Elizabeth's voice grew more discouraged. "My life in Hamilton has driven me to drink."

Abigail smiled. "Okay. Here's the third scenario; it's a year from now and you are married to Jack."

Elizabeth opened her eyes. "No!"

"Yes. Do it", Abigail said firmly.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and tried to relax, shaking her shoulders to loosen the anxiousness she felt at his name, and taking a deep breath.

"I'm sitting on our couch. The room is cozy and there's a fire in the fireplace. . . I'm reading a book and there's a pile of clean folded laundry beside me."

"What else? Keep picturing it."

"I've got a pot of stew on the stove. There are some pretty flowers in a clear glass vase on the kitchen table. . . I guess Jack gave them to me . . . There's the day's essays from my students on the coffee table. I finished grading them while the stew was simmering."

"And?"

"There's a sketchpad and some colored pencils on the table. I'll move them before we set the table for dinner. . . Jack walks in the front door. He smiles when he sees me. All bright and happy. Just because it's me he sees. And I look up from my book and smile back at him. Because - because I'm happy too." Her voice seemed to catch in her throat as she pictured her and Jack happily married.

Elizabeth opened her eyes and realized she couldn't deny the obvious any longer. "He makes me happy."

Abigail looked knowingly across the table. "I know."

"I love him. I really love him", Elizabeth admitted in a hopeless resigned voice.

The two women sat quietly at the table until finally Elizabeth pushed back her chair and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"To get my hat back," Elizabeth said with determination.

* * *

Elizabeth, so used to living in the row house, forgot to knock as she simply opened the front door and walked in. It wasn't until she was wandering through the parlor that she remembered that it hadn't been her home for a week.

When she found the kitchen empty of Jack, she boldly started up the steps.

* * *

Jack, sitting on his bed, had one boot in his hand. Lost in thought, he had worked the brown polish into every part of the boot. Four times. He didn't notice or even care that he had totally ignored the other boot as he moved the cloth in a circular motion.

When he heard the footsteps stop in the bedroom doorway, he looked up in surprise.

"I came to get my hat back", Elizabeth said when Jack simply stared at her.

"It's over there", he replied as he nodded towards his dresser, where the hat had been since he had picked it up off Elizabeth's floor. Ever since she had dropped it the night they had kissed in her room.

"You were right", she sighed. "It is my favorite."

Jack didn't remember ever being so tense in his life. He was afraid to speak again, worried that he would say the wrong thing and drive her away. _Is the hat a metaphor for me?!_

Elizabeth walked over to his dresser. Instead of picking up her hat, her eyes were drawn to the coin next to it. She picked up Jack's flattened penny from Montana, fingering it casually, before speaking.

"We have some issues to talk about."

"Issues?" he asked warily.

"If we're going to make this work, we need to discuss things. We're not married so obviously we don't need to go through with a divorce. I can write the attorney and tell him to stop the proceedings."

Jack continued to sit on the bed, stupidly holding his boot. Still afraid to speak after his last word.

Sensing his reluctance, Elizabeth restarted the conversation.

"We've never even courted so I'm not sure what this relationship is", she admitted pensively as she ran her finger on the copper coin.

"We were friends. Best friends."

"Friends", Elizabeth repeated thoughtfully.

"Do you _want to court_?" he asked hesitantly. Daring to hope.

"I really don't see the purpose now. I mean, the purpose of courting is to get to know one another. We already know each other pretty well."

He should have been hurt that she didn't want to court. He should have turned away. Left her alone.

But Jack couldn't look away from her. He could barely breath but he still couldn't look away from her. In fact, he knew that if he had to choose between breathing and looking at Elizabeth, he would always choose looking at her.

Finally, he spoke.

"I have a suggestion. . . . Why don't we skip the courting since there's no purpose and - - and just tell each other that we love each other and kiss?" he asked with a mixture of hesitancy and boldness.

Elizabeth unsuccessfully tried to hide her small smile by biting her bottom lip.

"I suppose we could do that."

The boot fell to the floor with a thump when Jack jumped to his feet.

He was not going to give her a chance to change her mind as he rushed the short distance to her.

Before she could say anything, Jack was holding Elizabeth's face in his warm palms. When he gently caressed her cheeks with his fingers, it was too dim in the room for him to realize that he had smudged shoe polish on her otherwise perfect pale skin; she wouldn't have cared.

All she cared about were the words he spoke.

"I love you."

"I love you", she replied softly as she looked at his eyes before his lips brushed tenderly against hers.

* * *

As the sun, which had shone through the window earlier in the day, went below the horizon, it left them standing in the dark bedroom with their kisses turning from tender to passionate. Jack's tongue moved against hers as his hands found her waist and pulled her tight against him.

He forgot about everything but her lips, the faint smell of her perfume, her arms now holding him tight, the way she made him feel when she pressed her body against him, the way she made him feel just thinking about her.

Jack's hands moved to her hair and he tangled his fingers in her curls. His lips traveled to her ear. "I love you" he whispered again.

"I love you, too" she said breathlessly before he reclaimed her mouth with his.

Elizabeth's palms moved along his back, willing him to not stop.

They ignored the knock on the downstairs door from a neighbor who wanted to borrow milk, the clock chiming on the parlor table, the sounds of people in the streets going home for dinner. All they knew was each other. How their bodies fit together.

When he teasingly ran his tongue along her neck, a tingling went through her body leaving her desperately wanting more of him.

She followed his lead and moved her lips along his neck, softly kissing him until her mouth reached his ear.

"I've never been in your bed," she whispered.

Jack felt like he had been hit by a bolt of lightning. Sending him on a course of action he couldn't stop.

His hands touched her hips, lightly pressing on her and sending shocks through her body as they moved to the mattress.

She unbuttoned his shirt, and he struggled to get his arms out of it while spending the least amount of time with his lips off of hers. Gently, slowly, he leaned down over her. Her back on the mattress. Her head resting on his pillow.

Their legs became intertwined as their kisses continued.

His lips were warm and sensual as he took his time, tantalizing her. He placed soft kisses along the neckline of her blouse until she gently pushed him away. She quickly unbuttoned her blouse and tore it off before grabbing Jack and pulling him back to her.

* * *

"Morning, sweet pea. Coffee?"

"Mmmmm. Thanks." Elizabeth sat up in bed, tucked the white sheet up against her bare chest with one arm, and took the cup of steaming coffee from Jack's outstretched hand.

"How long have you been up?"

"About an hour. I wanted to let you sleep in. You looked so adorable. And perfect in my bed."

He sat comfortably on the edge of the mattress next to her and took a sip of coffee from his own cup before speaking with a smile.

"Good news. I spoke to the new pastor and he can marry us this afternoon."

A startled Elizabeth sputtered and choked on her coffee. Using the back of her hand, she wiped the brown liquid from her mouth and stared at Jack in disbelief.

"You what?!"

"I spoke to Pastor Marson. He can marry us this afternoon."

"Why did you do that?"

Jack, surprised by her response, furrowed his brow in confusion. "So we can get back to being husband and wife. For real. Living together here in our house."

"Jack, I wish you had talked to me before you spoke to the Pastor."

"Why? He knows our situation. He'll come to the house and marry us. Abigail can be our witness. Or we can do it at Church and tell everyone we wanted to renew our vows in front of them."

When Elizabeth looked at him with an expression which he couldn't quite figure out, Jack smiled sheepishly. "I know we had our honeymoon last night so we're doing things out of order, but we can still get married today."

Elizabeth made a deep sigh and gave Jack a serious look.

"Jack, I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression last night, but I'm not making plans to marry you. At least not anytime soon."

"I'm sorry. I just can't," she added with a sympathetic shrug.

* * *

"We are getting married! Today!" Jack insisted for the third time. He followed Elizabeth around the room like a puppy dog as she picked up her clothes and began to get dressed.

"Sorry, Jack. But we're not. Hand me my other sock, please."

"Elizabeth, please. Be reasonable. We love each other. We _made love_ last night! Twice!", he said as he picked up her sock and handed it to her.

Elizabeth paused as she pulled on her sock and smiled as images of last night came to mind. "It was very nice. But we shouldn't have done it already. Goodness, I hadn't realized how carried away we would get last night. You were quite. . . .well, quite . . . well, you just made me want to do it. And I'm looking forward to doing it again. But we're not getting married until _after_ my birthday."

An exasperated Jack flopped onto the mattress. "You are so stubborn", he mumbled. "I've fallen in love with the most beautiful stubborn woman I've ever met."

"If we are going to have a marriage built on trust, I need you to know that my grandfather's trust fund has nothing to do with our marriage. The trust fund expires if I'm not married by my birthday. So, I'm not marrying you until _after_ my birthday.."

"Why can't we just contact your grandfather and have him write you out of the trust fund?"

"It's an irrevocable trust. That's how it was written."

Jack thought for a moment. "What if you're pregnant? After last night."

"Oh dear, that would be very very scandalous. The fake divorce and then a pregnancy. And us knowing that we're really not married." Elizabeth acknowledged.

Jack smiled in victory. "See, we need to get married. I'll get the pastor."

"Sorry, dear husband to be, but the answer is still no. Not until after my birthday. Which is in three months", Elizabeth reminded him as she finished buttoning her blouse and stood up, slipping into her shoes. "You know I'm right. I want you to never ever doubt the reason for our marriage."

"I don't doubt it! I told you that."

"But I will always wonder if in the back of your mind a small part of you wonders. And I can't live with that."

Jack looked at her in her wrinkled clothes with her tousled hair, and couldn't help but want to pull her back onto the mattress and make love to her again.

"So you're telling me that we can't be together again. . . like we were last night . . . for another three months?!'

Elizabeth frowned. "I'm sorry! What else can we do?! The trust is irrevocable and I won't marry you with it hanging over us. Not after what we've been through. . . . . . It's probably best that we avoid each other . . . so we don't end up . . . you know," she said as she nodded knowingly towards the bed.

"We'll just continue to live separately and try to . . . try to . . . not be alone together so . . . we don't do that again until we're married. It's too risky. Like you said, I could get . . . pregnant", she added quietly.

"When I mentioned that you might be pregnant, I was trying to convince you to hurry up and marry me, not convince you that we can't be together!"

Jack wearily rubbed his face and pushed his hair back.

He stared up at her with such longing and frustration that she wanted to throw herself into his arms. Instead, Elizabeth gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I love you. See you here again in twelve weeks," she said sadly before turning and walking out of the room.

When he heard the front door close, Jack got up from the bed and looked out the window as the woman he wanted to be his wife walked away from him.

"I am not waiting three months", he said with determination.

 **Up next: Chapter 10**


	20. Chapter 20 - Separation

**Chapter 10 - Separation**

 _ **Monday – Day One of 12 weeks apart**_

"Marry me", Jack said when he walked in the Saloon before school started for the day and he saw Elizabeth sitting at her desk.

"Not until after my birthday", she responded simply but with a smile as she looked up from her papers.

"I don't want to wait."

"You're the one that didn't want to marry me in the first place. You said it was wrong and stupid", she reminded him as she went back to her papers, trying to effectively put an end to the conversation.

"That was before I fell in love with you."

"Well you missed your opportunity so now you'll just have to wait."

"But I already know."

Jack moved aside a sheet of paper and sat sideways on the edge of Elizabeth's desk, putting one thigh dangerously close to her.

"Know what?" she asked while trying to ignore his muscled thigh. It was only a few inches from her fingers which were coming perilously close to inching towards it.

"That you really truly love me too."

Elizabeth set down her pencil and looked at him, a large grin spreading across her face before responding. "I do."

"Then marry me today."

"Jack, I'm going to give you the same answer I gave you yesterday. No."

"But we already –"

"Shhh! Don't you dare say it aloud. Someone may walk in and overhear. They'll know we did it."

"Elizabeth, people already think that we're married. They think we've been doing _it_ for weeks."

"Hush. We need to keep our relationship under wraps. No letting it slip that we're not married and no letting it slip that we've . . . you know . . .", she hissed.

"Fine. But I have a question for you before I get to work. Now that we've made love . . . yes I'm going to say it aloud . . . made love _before_ we were married, do you still respect me? Or were you just using me for my body? Cuz I'm kind of feeling slighted here."

Elizabeth snickered and slapped Jack's leg with her papers as he smiled broadly. "Stop. You're nothing but trouble. Now get to work."

* * *

Eight hours later, Elizabeth held back the lace curtain and looked out the front parlor window as she watched Jack riding through town on his way to the livery.

"He's the most handsome man I've ever seen", she remarked over her shoulder to Abigail, who was folding clothes on the sofa across the room.

"He is very handsome", the other woman agreed with a smile. Abigail was thrilled that the young couple was back together and that she would no longer have to lend a sympathetic ear to them. Over the past week, it had taken all her strength not to slap them each up the side of the head and then lock them in a closet together until they came to their senses.

"Abigail?" Elizabeth's voice was hesitant as she continued staring out the window. _My goodness, he's so sexy._

"Yes?"

"What do you think about . . . about . . . people having relations before they're married?"

Abigail set down the towels she was in the process of folding and looked curiously at Elizabeth.

"You told me that while you and Jack were living together you didn't have relations. You said that it was strictly friends. That you kept separate bedrooms. Are you telling me that while you lived together, you had. . . relations?"

"No. No. We didn't. . . not when we were living together. . . I'm just wondering what you think about it. I mean, Jack and I love each other and we're planning on getting married in three months." _There's no way I'm telling her now that we've done it. . . after we weren't living together._

"If you've managed to go this long, you can wait another three months. Now, help me fold some laundry and stop thinking about how handsome your pretend husband is."

* * *

Elizabeth gently closed her journal and laid it on the nightstand before she twisted the knob which protruded from the kerosene lamp next to it. As she adjusted the wick and extinguished the flame, she wondered how she was going to handle the next three months. Laying alone in her single bed in her room above the Café, she couldn't stop thinking of Jack.

 _One day down. Two months, three weeks, and six days to go._

* * *

 _ **Tuesday – Day Two of 12 weeks apart**_

"Mrs. Thornton, I think it's very admirable what you've done with the Constable in terms of your sleeping arrangement. A woman needs to take care of her husband's needs first", Florence Blakely remarked as she watched the young children walk through the Saloon doors at the start of the school day.

"Precautions are always a good idea", Mrs. Henderson added as she joined the group.

"Precautions?"

"Have you been feeling hot lately? Around your husband? When I heard that you were sleeping at the Café, I thought, what a shame. So soon in the marriage. But the Constable explained everything."

A befuddled Elizabeth stared at the Mrs. Johnson who had walked up to the front of the Saloon and was looking at her curiously.

"Excuse me ladies, I'll be right back."

* * *

"Jack!" Elizabeth yelled as she ran across the street towards Jack who was walking out of the jailhouse.

"What did you tell the women in town about us?" she hissed as she anxiously looked around the street.

Jack chuckled. "They wanted to know why you weren't sleeping at our house and if our marriage was in trouble. I explained that we were living apart because you were worried that you may have been infected by your students with chicken pox. You were keeping your distance from me until you were sure that it was safe and you wouldn't get me sick. I assured them that we were still happily married."

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good. Okay, well, thank you. . . .But, Jack," she added with realization, "you've already had the chicken pox. When you were a little boy."

"I know that. But they don't", he replied with a smile.

* * *

The clock on the wall showed five o'clock.

Sitting at his desk with his soft-covered journal in front of him, Jack wrote down the number of wolves he had seen that week – eight, the number of arrests he had made – two (and both for drunken fighting), the number of fires in town– zero, and the number of deaths in town – zero.

He closed the log book which he was required to keep by the Northwest Mounties and stood up from his desk. It was time to show Elizabeth what she was missing.

As he poured a small amount of the liquid from the glass bottle into the palm of his hand and then patted it onto his cheeks, Jack thought about how stubborn Elizabeth was. He also thought about how incredibly smart and caring she was. And desirable.

 _The next three months are not going to be easy,_ he realized.

He also realized that he wanted to be married to her before they were intimate again. He knew in his heart that there was nothing wrong with what they had done. But there was the danger that she could get pregnant. And he didn't want that to happen if they weren't married. Which meant that he either had to go through three months of torture looking at her without being able to have her, or he had to hurry up the wedding.

He took one last look in the mirror and combed his hair. As he stared at his reflection and thought about Elizabeth, Jack put away his comb, and with a change of his mind, took his hand and ruffled his hair. _Messy's better. She always looks like she's itching to push my cowlick out of my face. Here's her opportunity._

* * *

"Elizabeth, can you have dinner with me tonight?" Jack asked. He was standing in the Saloon looking at her as she closed up her books.

Elizabeth pursed her lips and contemplated the invitation for a moment before answering. "Dinner. And only dinner. And only in public. At the Café."

"I'll take what I can get", he replied good-naturely.

He picked up her shawl from the hook on the wall, the only garment left on the row of pegs which lined the back wall of the Saloon and held it up to her.

Elizabeth turned her back to Jack and allowed him to wrap the shawl around her shoulders. She didn't object when he let his hands linger on her body and leaned close to her. "You look delicious", he whispered in her ear.

Elizabeth inhaled slightly, trying not to be obvious as she noticed a new scent to his body which was just inches away. It was different than his normal clean soapy scent, or when he smelled of the outdoors when he was just back from riding, but she found it just as sexy.

Jack rightly suspected that a warm tingle was going through Elizabeth's body as he turned her around and then placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

 _His hair is falling over his forehead again. I declare, he needs to carry a comb with him._ She held back her hand and willed herself not to reach out and touch his hair.

As she pulled her own hair out from under the shawl, she said a silent thank you that the weather hadn't made her tresses turn into a bundle of frizz that day and that she didn't look too dreadfully tired.

"Do you like my new aftershave? I bought it earlier today" Jack remarked pleasantly as he moved one of her curls behind her ear.

"I do, but I hope you didn't buy it just to try and seduce me. Because we are not spending any time alone until we are married."

"You can't blame for me for trying", he said with a smirk.

He moved his face even closer towards hers, causing her to suddenly feel her pulse move even faster and her ability to concentrate on anything but him vanish.

Slowly she moved backwards and found herself with her back an inch from the hard wall and her front an inch from Jack. She was acutely aware of how the physical aspects of his work as a Mountie had molded his body into muscles which now seemed to be stretching against his clothes.

"Jack", she questioned softly.

"Hmm", he said as he gently picked up another lock of her hair and began twirling it around one of his fingers.

He smiled at her. Knowing how he made her feel.

"You shouldn't stand so close to me", she said breathlessly.

"I like standing close to you."

He leaned towards her, and raised one of his arms, placing his hand on the wall behind her, trapping her beneath his body.

"But . . . someone might see us." She swallowed an uneasy gulp as she tried not to think about how incredibly handsome he looked.

"We're just talking", he noted with a twinkle in his eyes. "And don't forget, everyone in town thinks we're married. It's totally normal for us to be seen talking. Actually, if you think about, we should be seen kissing. We're newlyweds and we don't want the people in town to start wondering any more about our marriage."

Elizabeth tried to think of something intelligent to say, but somehow just being around Jack and knowing what incredible things he could do with his mouth and his hands made her mute.

She knew what he was going to do. He was going to kiss her and leave her entirely breathless and wanting more. He was going to make her think of all those things he had done to her in bed the other night.

Her whole body wanted him to take her into his arms and make passionate lustful love to her again despite knowing how utterly wrong that would be.

 _Or would it? We love each other. Okay, so yes, we're not married and we're in the Saloon, but what if we were back at the row house? Would it be so wrong?_

She continued to spin images of Jack in her mind as he moved closer and found her lips. Warm and soft. They tasted delicious - like wintergreen, and he realized that despite her vocal proclamation that they should not be together, she had been expecting him to come for her after school. Preparing for his lips. His kiss. His taste.

"Marry me", he whispered. "We can have the ceremony tonight. Just give me 20 minutes to find the pastor."

Elizabeth knew she wouldn't marry him tonight. But she met his lips again and continued to kiss him as they stood in the Saloon _. Just a little longer. Until the bartender comes to open up for business. Mmmmmm. He's so delicious. Just a little longer._

* * *

Elizabeth closed her journal and laid it on the nightstand before she twisted the knob which protruded from the kerosene lamp next to it.

As she adjusted the wick and extinguished the flame, she frowned slightly. She had barely noticed what she had eaten for dinner; she had been too preoccupied with looking at Jack as he had sat across the Café table from her.

 _Those darn dimples of his. And the way he smiled at me. All innocent like when he knew that I knew what he was really thinking._

She realized that these three months apart were going to be harder than she had initially thought.

 _How did this happen?! I was supposed to come to Coal Valley, find a man I could control, use him, marry him, and ignore him for the most part until the divorce._

 _How did this happen?_

With her right cheek lying flat against her pillow, her frown turned to a smile. _I fell in love with the most perfect man in the world._

 _Two days down. Two months, three weeks, and five days to go._

* * *

 _ **Wednesday - Day Three of 12 weeks apart**_

"What is this?"

Elizabeth looked curiously at the single sheet of paper full of mathematical calculations which Jack had just handed her as she stood in front of the classroom's chalkboard.

"That's a math problem. I already figured it out for you. There's the answer there on the bottom", he said as he pointed to the numbers.

As Elizabeth contemplated the problem, Jack moved over her shoulder, close enough that the front of his jacket was touching the back of her blouse. He breathed in the faint scent of her cologne and put his hands on her waist.

"Yes, I can see that. But what is it for?" she asked as she tried to ignore the miniscule muscles of her skin which had just contracted and formed goose bumps on her arms from his closeness.

"Sixty seconds in a minute times sixty minutes in an hour times 24 hours in a day is 86,400. 86,400 times seven days in a week is 604,800. Times that by twelve weeks and you get 7,257,600. That's the number of times you're going to be thinking about how much you want to be with me. In my bed", he said in a low voice. "The number of times that you'll be thinking about me doing some incredible things to you."

He kissed her softly on the neck. "But of course, that's also the number of times, I won't be able to do anything wonderful to your body because you refuse to marry me."

"See you around, Elizabeth", he added pleasantly as he released her waist and moved away.

Before she could say anything, a smiling Jack turned and walked out of the room. Leaving her feeling flushed and breathless.

* * *

Elizabeth slammed closed her journal and laid it on the nightstand before she twisted the knob which protruded from the kerosene lamp next to it. As she adjusted the wick and extinguished the flame, she scowled. This was going to be torture.

She hadn't see Jack, except for a brief passing in the street, since his visit earlier that morning. As they had walked past each other, her on the way to the mercantile, and him coming in the direction of the livery, he had tipped his hat to her and called out, "Good evening, Mrs. Thornton" while giving her a wink.

He had come back from rounds and from helping out one of the ranchers, where he had eaten dinner, and then he had joined some of the men in town for darts and drinks.

Jack's mind appeared to be occupied with branding calves, a Saloon throwing game, and beer.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, hadn't been able to stop thinking about Jack all day.

Jack was absolutely uncontrollable when he wanted to twist her body in knots, and Elizabeth had to admit that he seemed to know every way to make her pant for him like a female dog in heat.

 _Three days down. Two months, three weeks, and four days to go. Arrggghhh!_

* * *

 _ **Thursday – Day Four of 12 weeks apart**_

Elizabeth picked up the hem of her skirt and hurried down the dusty street to the doctor's office. Trying to keep her anxiousness from turning into full blown panic as she thought about what one of the miners had told her. Jack was at the doctor's office. Hurt.

Injured in a fall from his horse.

Elizabeth, her heart pounding, pushed open the door and rushed inside.

"Mrs. Thornton, good to see you. Must be wife's intuition. Sensing an injured husband", Dr. Briston said as he looked up at Elizabeth who came to a stop halfway across the floor.

A shirtless Jack, sitting on the examining table with his legs dangling off the side, smiled at her. "Yep. My wife can sense everything about me because I'm her husband. Right, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized Jack's easy going attitude. He was okay. Alive and okay.

"Will you please rub this on your husband's shoulder? I was going to have him to put it on at home, but since you're here and his shirt is off, you might as well do it now and get the healing started", the doctor said as he handed the jar of ointment to Elizabeth.

He moved over to his desk drawer and pulled out a sling. "I'll give you a sling to wear for a day, but you should be fine after that."

"Rub it on him? Um. . now . . . me?" Elizabeth asked hesitantly as she stared at the white cream which smelled strongly of mint.

"For Pete's sake, Mrs. Thornton, you don't need to act so embarrassed. I'm a doctor. I'm familiar with what goes on with husbands and wives and I'm quite sure that you've seen your husband's bare body before. At least I hope you have. You've been married for over two months. If you haven't seen him naked yet, your husband has more of a problem than just a simple pulled shoulder."

Jack tried to keep a straight face as he looked at Elizabeth. "Yes, Mrs. Thornton. Please rub it on now. Let's get that healing started."

* * *

That night, Elizabeth didn't bother to write in her journal. As she adjusted the wick and extinguished the flame of the kerosene lamp, she let out a harsh expletive. Then she punched her pillow with her fist and tried to fall asleep.

 _Four days down. Two months, three weeks, and three days to go._

 _I'm never going to make it._

 **Up next: Chapter 11**


	21. Chapter 21 - Happily Ever After

**Chapter 11 – Happily Ever After**

 _ **Friday – Day Five of 12 weeks apart**_

Elizabeth set down her plate containing two scrambled eggs and a piece of toast on the table and went back to the kitchen counter for her cup of coffee.

"I'm going to move back to the row house today. I don't want the women in town to start gossiping again and Jack has to go out of town for the night so he won't be there," she explained to Abigail as the two women sat down for breakfast.

"What about when he comes back tomorrow?"

"He'll sleep at the jail at nights and sneak back home in the mornings. Or he'll sleep in his bedroom and I'll sleep in mine. We did it for ten weeks. We can do it for another eleven and a half."

"You did it for ten weeks when neither one of you was willing to admit that you loved each other," Abigail reminded her with raised eyebrows as she stopped buttering her toast and looked at Elizabeth.

"Since then, you've admitted your love and you've kissed. Quite a bit from what people in town have noticed. It seems that despite your _concern_ for spreading chicken pox, you two have been discovered kissing in the Saloon, the jail house, the alley beside the mercantile, the livery, and by the pond. And that's just in less than a week."

"We'll be fine. For goodness sakes, I'm a grown woman. I can control myself", Elizabeth replied dismissively. _And least I hope I can_.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Elizabeth raised herself slightly up on the toes of her shoes and gave Jack a quick peck on the cheek. They were standing in front of the jail next to his horse which already had Jack's Mountie-issued saddlebag and sleeping roll secured to it.

"Be careful when you're out there."

"I will. I promise. I'll be back late tomorrow if the weather holds up. Otherwise, it may be another day"

"I'll miss you."

Jack grinned. "That's what I'm hoping for. Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and gave him a sideways and challenging look. "On second thought, I may not even think about you. Out of sight. Out of mind."

"We'll see about that", he responded with an interesting smile as he mounted his horse.

* * *

Once Elizabeth, who had made a decision to avoid thinking about Jack while he was out of town, had taken attendance for the day, she stood in the front of the room of round tables and smiled encouragingly at her students.

"Class, it's time for your reports. As you know, you were each supposed to pick an animal, bird, or other creature and present on it. I know that we don't have a lot of books yet. I was hoping that my shipment of encyclopedias would have arrived by now but I hope you were able to talk to people in the community who could give you some helpful information. Steven, would you please go first?"

The young red-headed boy stood up from his chair and began speaking to the class.

"I picked wolves. They're carnivores and similar to dogs in many ways. They howl to communicate. They are very smart. When a male and a female meet each other, they form a pack and find a place to settle down and raise their cubs. They mate for life. Mountie Jack says that's important."

"You spoke to Mountie Jack about this?" Elizabeth asked in surprise.

"He knows a lot about animals", the boy replied with a nod.

"Yes, Bobby?" Elizabeth asked when she noticed a six-year old boy at the table across the room raise his hand.

"What's _mate_ mean?"

Steven, proud of his research with the town's constable, spoke up before Elizabeth could answer. "That means they stay together like a husband and wife. Mountie Jack says that when a male wolf falls in love with a female wolf, it's forever. Just like when a husband falls in love with his wife. Like him and Mrs. Thornton."

"I'm glad to see that Mountie Jack has so much information to offer", Elizabeth said with a hint of sarcasm.

"I asked Mountie Jack about my animal too", Elsa offered. "Can I go next?"

When Elizabeth nodded, the eleven-year old girl stood and held up a mass of wooden sticks, glued together and heaped onto a small board, for the class to see.

"My animal is the beaver. It also mates for life and is known to be very loyal to its mate. They can live happily together for decades. Together they make a home after they dam up a stream. . . Is it okay that I said dam, Mrs. Thornton?"

"Yes, it's fine, Elsa. It's spelled differently than the bad word", Elizabeth replied with a grin. "Go on."

"This is what their home looks like. It's called a lodge", the girl said as she walked around the room showing off her structure. "They have a room for drying off after the beavers enter from underwater."

"How many bedrooms do they have?" one of the students asked as he looked at the dam replica.

"Just one. Mountie Jack says they only need one bedroom 'cuz they love each other. Just like a husband and wife only need one bedroom. Mount Jack says it's silly for them to each have their own bedroom."

"Mountie Jack says that, does he? He's just full of facts and opinions," Elizabeth mumbled.

"You can sit down now, Elsa."

"Jacob, why don't you go next?"

The nine-year old boy stood and held up a piece of paper with a pencil and crayon rendering of an animal for the class to see.

"I picked the red fox because I think they are really pretty and I've seen them a lot. They are called omnivores because they eat anything. Male red foxes hunt for the family and bring the food home to their den. After they all eat, the male likes to play with their pups. Mountie Jack says he sees them playing and roughhousing sometimes when he's on his rounds. He says that the male is a good mate and father because just like with humans, the male should provide for the family and play with the children when he comes home from work. I asked if he's going to do that when he and Miss Thatcher . . . I mean Mrs. Thornton . . . have babies and he said yes."

"Did _all_ of you talk to Mountie Jack about animals?" Elizabeth asked in alarm.

"I didn't" ,Trisha volunteered happily.

"Why don't you go next, Trisha?" Elizabeth instructed. _At least Jack didn't get to all of them!_

The thirteen-year old stood up, smoothed out her cotton dress, and began speaking.

"I picked the Black widow spider. The female has an hourglass figure, which is what all ladies want. The female spider doesn't get along with its family and it leaves home as soon as it can. After it picks a husband, and gets what it wants from him, it eats him. Just gobbles him up. Sometimes people mistake the trapdoor spider for the black widow spider. I asked Mountie Jack –"

"Trisha, you said that you didn't talk to Mountie Jack", Elizabeth interrupted.

"No, Mrs. Thornton. You asked if I talked to him about _animals_. I didn't. I talked to him about _spiders_ ", the girl answered innocently. "Spiders aren't animals. You taught us that."

Elizabeth shook her head in defeat as Trisha began talking again.

"I asked Mountie Jack how you can tell a black widow from a nice spider and he said that he can always tell. It takes experience but you also have to trust your instinct. He said he can tell a venomous 'man-user' . . . that's what he called it . . .from a nice female who wouldn't hurt him. He said that was important for me to put in my report. That's there's no 'doubt'. He said that specifically. That there's 'no _doubt'_ that he knows when a female is not a black widow."

Trisha, proud of her report, sat down and waited expectantly for Elizabeth to compliment her.

Elizabeth gave a sad sigh of surrender and rang the bell on her desk. "Class dismissed."

"But it's only nine o'clock in the morning!" several of the children yelled out.

"Fine. Recess. Go outside and run around like wild creatures", she said with a dismissive wave of her hand before she sunk her head onto her desk.

* * *

"He used my own students against me!" Elizabeth complained hours later as she and Abigail set the cloth napkins which they had just folded into neat squares onto the Café tables in anticipation of the dinner crowd. "Without them even knowing it!"

Abigail smiled as she set down the last of her stack of napkins and walked over to the sideboard. She picked up a handful of silverware and began moving from table to table, placing a knife and fork in front of each chair. "He is a very persistent man."

"He managed to make his presence known in my day even when he's not in town. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, he said! He knew exactly what he was doing!"

"He's persistent and smart."

"I came to Coal Valley as a strong independent woman with a plan. Now look at me! I can't think straight. He's turned my life into chaos!"

Abigail's chuckled. "Chaos? Is that what they call it in Hamilton. From where I come from they call it frustrated love."

* * *

Elizabeth gently closed her journal and put it on the unfamiliar nightstand next to her. As she adjusted the wick and extinguished the flame of the kerosene lamp, she spoke softly, no more than a whisper. "Good night, Jack. Wherever you are. I love you."

With her head against the pillow in his bed, she breathed in the scent from the pillowcase. His scent. Leftover from the night before.

Tomorrow, when Jack was back home, she'd sleep alone in her own bed. But for tonight, she'd sleep as close to him as possible.

 _Five days down. Two months, three weeks, and two days to go._

 _Come home to me soon, you rascal. You were right. Absence makes the heart grow fonder._

* * *

 _ **Saturday – Day Six of 12 weeks apart**_

Elizabeth had spent a good portion of the afternoon preparing dinner. While she had waited for the bread dough to rise, she had chopped celery, carrots, onions and potatoes until she thought she'd never want to chop another vegetable.

And then she saw the rabbit.

With her face screwed up in disgust, she had followed Abigail's verbal directions and coated each piece of the animal in flour and then browned them in the heavy iron skillet. After putting everything into the pot with water and spices, she took a slug of the wine before pouring a cup of the liquid into the mixture.

Five hours later, Jack had pushed back his empty bowl, taken a sip of wine from his glass, and declared for the second time that evening that it had been a delicious meal.

As he helped Elizabeth clean up the last of the dishes, she noticed him stifle a yawn.

"You must be tired from your traveling."

"Just a little. The hard ground wasn't as conducive to sleeping as a bed mattress. I'm going to head over to the jail if you don't mind. I hate to eat and run, but I am pretty exhausted."

Elizabeth tried to hide the disappointment from her face. "I understand. It's no problem. I've got a good book to read anyway."

"Hey, is everything okay? You're not mad that I'm leaving are you?"

"No, I'm not mad."

"Then what's wrong? I know something's going on in the head of yours."

"I just wish we had more time to spend together."

"It was pretty nice when we lived together", he admitted with a smile.

"Let me go get you a better pillow. Yours here is much softer than that cheap one at the jail", Elizabeth offered as she turned and started up the staircase.

"I think if I were seen walking down the street with a pillow it would kind of defeat the purpose of me pretending that we're happily married and sleeping together. Don't worry. I'm fine with the jailhouse bed. I'll fall asleep quick enough."

Jack took his leather jacket, which was worn and faded from sun and rain, off the hook on the wall and slipped his arms into the sleeves. He stopped halfway through buttoning the third button and glanced at Elizabeth who was standing at the bottom of the staircase watching him.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Talk to me."

Elizabeth hadn't meant to bother Jack with her thoughts, especially when he was so tired, but the words came out before she could stop.

"I love you and all that time that I thought that we were married, we didn't have sex. And then when I _knew_ we weren't married but I wanted so desperately to be married to you and to experience being with you, we had sex. And now I can't stop thinking about it even though I know we shouldn't do it if we're not married."

Jack smiled and raised his eyebrows at her. "Is that an invitation?"

Instead of smiling back, she frowned sadly. "It's not just that.. . . I want to be married to you and do things like before. I want to fall asleep on the couch with you. And have dinner at our table every night. And play cards in the evening. And make breakfast for you. I miss being your wife."

Jack crossed the room and moved his finger along her cheek, gently picking up a single tear as it fell from one of her eyes.

"I will marry you any second of the day. I promise. You say the word and we are married."

"We can't", she grumbled. "We have to wait. If we get married before my birthday, you might one day think that I tricked you. By sleeping with you first. Making you feel pressured to hurry up and marry me. Oh, by the way, I'm not pregnant", she added.

Jack ran his fingers through her hair and spoke softly at first and then with a hint of humor.

"I would never think you tried to trick me or pressure me. Never. I know you love me. And you know I love you. You may have seduced me with your soft skin. And lured me into yours arms with your beguiling smile. And captivated me with your incredible personality. And mesmerized me with your warm lips, but you never tricked me or pressured me to fall in love with you."

"That's quite a vocabulary you have there", she teased through her watery eyes.

"I have to keep up with my intelligent wife-to-be."

Jack wrapped his strong arms around her quivering body, holding her comfortably and letting her calm her breathing before she spoke again.

"The whole trust fund leaves such a bad taste in my mouth. It reminds me of how stupid I was when I moved here. How I was planning on using you. How I wasn't respectful of our friendship and your feelings. I want all that gone."

"If you want to wait, we'll wait. Until after your birthday. I will try my darndest not to tempt you and tease you until then. No matter how adorable you are. I promise. But the very next day after your birthday, you're going to be my bride."

Jack's voice was so full of love and sincerity that Elizabeth wanted to stay snuggled up against him all night.

"You are the most wonderful honorable man I have ever met. How did I get so lucky?"

"I think it had something to do with you coming to Coal Valley determined to marry some schmuck and I found myself volunteering."

Elizabeth kept her head leaning against his chest but took her hand and lightly slapped him on the arm.

"And somehow, I ended up falling hopelessly, utterly, desperately in love with you", he said in a low voice as he nuzzled her neck.

Elizabeth didn't respond but closed her eyes in contentment and gratefully allowed Jack to continue to nestle his mouth in small spot between her neck and her shoulder.

"Now, if you are not planning on marrying me in the next five minutes, I am going to have to say good night."

"Oh, Jack", she lamented as he gently disentangled himself from her.

"If I don't leave now, you're going to lose all respect for me when I let you take me to bed", he said with a soft chuckle. "And I'm going to lose all respect for myself because I'm going to wish you had done it sooner."

"Good night, sweet pea", he said with a smile as he opened the door and then walked out.

* * *

Elizabeth closed her journal and put it on Jack's nightstand. She adjusted the wick and extinguished the flame of the kerosene lamp. In the dark room, which was now lit only by the moonlight, she walked to the window. She was too far from the jailhouse to see it, but she knew Jack was safely there.

Unlike last night, she would sleep without worry tonight.

* * *

 _ **Sunday – Day Seven of 12 weeks apart**_

Abigail took her knife and made small cuts in the pale top crusts of the two pies on her counter. After putting the pies in the oven, she closed its heavy metal door and then turned to look at Jack. "How about lemonade?"

When Jack just nodded feebly, she moved to the icebox and took out a pitcher. Abigail waited to speak until after she had filled two glasses with the cool pale yellow liquid, and then handed one to Jack.

"So, let's recap this. First, she asked you to marry her for money but you said no. Then you offered to marry her but you really tricked her and had a fake ceremony. You moved in together and led everyone to believe that you were married. She loves you so she filed for a divorce. You love her so you told her that you weren't really married. You asked her to marry you, but she said no. She loves you so she won't marry you unless she gives up the chance at a trust fund.

Jack frowned as he got the distinct impression that Abigail was mocking him. "Yes, that's right."

"Basically, instead of her chasing you, you're now the one chasing her."

"What's your point?"

"I've never met a couple in love who managed to make such a mess of things. It's like you two are never on the same page. . . . Except of course that time you made your wishes."

Jack set down his glass on the tablecloth and looked curiously at Abigail. "What do you mean?"

"You told me that when you were in Montana, you wanted to be married and you did that thing with the pennies on the train tracks. Elizabeth said she had the same thoughts. She also yelled out that she wanted to be married to you for the right reasons when the train went by."

Jack stared at Abigail. "She never told me."

* * *

That night at the jailhouse, Jack closed his book on laws and regulations and put it on the nightstand next to him. As he adjusted the wick and extinguished the flame of the kerosene lamp, he spoke softly to himself, no more than a whisper. "Hopefully, this is the last night we sleep apart."

* * *

 _ **Monday – Day One of the Rest of their Lives**_

It took Jack several hours to get the answers he wanted. He had sent the first telegram and waited impatiently for a response. Pacing the floor of the mercantile for thirty minutes and moving out of the way of patrons as he looked towards the telegraph machine behind the counter. Listening for a response.

When he had finally heard the click-click sounds, Jack's heart started to race. The dots and dashes were telling him his future. And his past.

it was his past that most interested him at this point.

He tried to interpret the tiny machine's sounds but between his nerves and his minimum experience with Morse code, the sounds were coming across the wire too quickly for him to make sure his interpretation was accurate.

When Ned Yost finally handed him the translation, Jack grabbed the paper and read it without bothering to move away from the counter.

The response, which was five sentences in length, just led him to think of another question. Ignoring the customers trying to pay for their merchandise, Jack insisted that Ned send another wire, and he again waited impatiently for a reply.

As he left the mercantile, carrying the single sheet of paper with the second typed response from the attorney, Jack's mind went over possible problems. His initial hope was replaced by dismay the more he thought of the scene. When he reached the front porch of the jailhouse, he turned around and went back to the mercantile.

"Another telegram, Constable?" Ned Yost asked with a sigh when the bell rang above the door and he saw Jack walk in.

"One more. I'll write it down for you."

* * *

The clock on the wall and the running of feet down the street signified the end of the school day. With a pocketful of telegrams, Jack looked out the jailhouse window and saw Elizabeth, with several books in her hands, walk out of the Saloon and start down the street toward the Cafe.

He hurried out the door, letting it slam shut behind him, and called out to her. His voice stopping her in her tracks.

Elizabeth turned and waited for him to reach her.

"Can you stop by the house in about 20 minutes?"

"Jack, I don't think it's a good idea for us to be alone. I know I moved back in but now I'm having second thoughts. It's too tempting."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Is that all you think about? For goodness sakes, I just want to talk."

"Are you sure", she asked skeptically.

"That's all. I promise as a Mountie and a gentleman that I will not attempt to get frisky with you unless we are married. In fact, I will not so much as kiss you unless we are married."

"You won't even kiss me?!"

"Not so much as a kiss on the cheek unless we are married."

"Fine. I'll be over in 20 minutes."

* * *

Elizabeth sat on the worn blue couch and looked expectantly at Jack, who was acting peculiar. Like he wanted to tell her something important but wasn't sure how to go about it. He kept smiling and running his hand nervously through his hair as he paced in front of her.

"Do you remember when we were in Montana at the train tracks in the sweet pea field?"

"Of course."

"Did you say your wish aloud?"

"I did. You said that's how wishes come true. I know it's just superstition but I did it anyway."

"What did you say when the train barreled past us?"

Elizabeth's forehead creased in puzzlement and she looked at Jack curiously. She certainly hadn't expected their conversation to be about that day. After leaving school, she had hurried back to Abigail's and freshened up before meeting Jack. As she had put on a dap of cologne at the nape of her neck, and brushed her hair, she had wondered what he wanted to see her about. Now that she was sitting on the couch with him a few feet away, she had no idea what he was thinking.

"Why?"

"Just tell me."

"That I loved you and wanted to be married to you for real reasons. For love, not money", she answered with a shrug.

Jack's face broke out in a grin. "I wished the same thing. I yelled it aloud."

"So did I." She returned his smile but she still had no idea why he was so happy about it. They had told each other that they loved each other more than a dozen times since then. What difference did it make that they had both said it in the field of sweet peas.

"Did you honestly want to be married to me at that moment and forever afterwards?"

"I did. Honestly."

"You hadn't had anything to drink that morning, had you?"

"Of course not! It was just after breakfast!"

"Next question, you don't have any mental problem that keeps you from making a competent decision, do you?"

"Jack, what is this all about?"

"Just answer the question."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows at him but nevertheless answered. "No, I don't have any mental problems. I am totally competent to make any decision and I have always been competent."

"Did you or did you not declare your honest desire to be my wife when I declared my honest desire to be your husband?"

"I did."

"Did we hold ourselves out as husband and wife in Montana? At the hotel, and the carnival, and the train station?"

"You know we did. We told everyone in Bozeman that we were Mr. and Mrs. Thornton. Remember when we were dancing in the street and that rude ranch-hand with the ugly mustache tried to cut in. I said 'my husband does not take kindly to anyone but him dancing with his wife', and then I smiled at you and you twirled me around and we laughed. And you said, "I like my wife when she's a force to be reckoned with."

"And I told the hotel clerk we were married. And the man at the food stand when we ate the hot dogs. And you introduced me as your husband when we met that nice older couple that was selling sachets."

Elizabeth looked puzzled. "But Jack, we told everyone in Coal Valley that we were married. What difference does it make that we told people in Montana? So what that we wanted to be married and acted like we were married when we were in Bozeman?"

"Have you ever heard of a common-law marriage?"

"No. Is it something that common people do? I've heard of high society weddings if that helps."

Jack raised his eyebrows at Elizabeth. "No, that does not help. It's when two people get married without a clergyman or other official officiating the ceremony. There's not even a need for a license."

"How can they get married then?"

"There are three requirements. One, they are both competent to make decisions. Two, they both declare their honest desires to be married, and three, they hold themselves out to the public as husband and wife."

"And then what?"

Jack smiled broadly. "That's it. They're married. If they fulfill all three requirements, they're married."

"I don't understand", a perplexed Elizabeth asked as she looked up at Jack.

"Sixteen states in the United States recognize common-law marriages. Including Montana."

"Are you making this up?" she asked with her brows in a furrow.

"No. Look, here's the telegram. I sent a request to the prosecutor I met in Bozeman asking about it. He was a real nice guy and we talked a lot during the trial breaks. Remember, I introduced him to you at the Carnival. Anyway, I sent him a telegram asking about it and he replied back that Montana recognizes them. "

"We did all three things! We were competent and we declared our desires and we told people that we were married. "

"Then we're married." Jack's face was wide with a smile.

"But we didn't hear each other say it?" she countered with a frown.

An undiscouraged Jack continued to smile. "That doesn't matter. Apparently, the good people of Montana didn't think of a situation wherein the couple declaring their intentions would be separated by a speeding locomotive. Actually hearing the other person say that they want to be married is not a legal requirement," he explained as he handed her another telegram.

"But we didn't consummate the marriage in Montana?" she argued.

Jack chuckled and handed her a third telegram. "That's actually not a requirement either. I'm not quite sure what married people in Montana do but doing _that_ is not a requirement for a valid marriage."

"Just how many telegrams did you get?!"

"Four. I wanted to make sure I was right before I said anything to you. The prosecutor is going to send me a letter, a copy of the law, and an affidavit attesting to the fact that he observed us holding ourselves out as a married couple. He said we shouldn't need it, but he'd send it anyway."

"But Jack, I've never heard of a common-law marriage. I don't think Canada even has them."

"Canada doesn't. But Montana does."

"But we live in Canada! We're Canadian! I don't want to move to Montana and live there. I mean, it was beautiful and I'm sure Americans are very nice. The people in Bozeman were wonderful. But Jack, you're a Mountie. They don't even have Mounties in Montana!"

Jack chuckled and handed her a slip of paper.

"We don't have to live in Montana. Which is the reason for this fourth telegram. I sent a telegram to an attorney friend in Ottawa. Canada recognizes all marriages that are legal in the jurisdiction in which they are established. And since our marriage was legally established in Montana, it is a legal marriage in Canada."

Elizabeth stood there staring at the four telegrams in her hand. She moved her eyes from one to the other. Re-reading each one in turn until Jack spoke again.

"We, my dear wife, are married. We have been married since Montana."

"We're married? Really truly married?"

"Since the moment, we first held ourselves out as husband and wife after competently declaring our desires in Bozeman."

"Married? Since Montana?" she mumbled in disbelief.

"Which means we were married when we made love. And we have been stupidly living apart for no reason."

! "We're really married?"

"You're not sorry, are you?"

Elizabeth face broke out in a broad smile and she jumped up from the couch. "How could I ever be sorry? I love you! You're my husband. My husband! I am Mrs. Jack Thornton! I'm your wife!"

Jack put his hands on her face and spoke in a low voice.

"And now I am going to take my wife upstairs and make love to her. And then, I'm going to push our beds together in one room because we are never ever again having two separate bedrooms. And tomorrow, we're going to make sure that the attorney in Hamilton stopped the divorce proceedings because we are never getting a divorce."

Before Elizabeth could answer, Jack's mouth was on hers. Leaving her to respond in a very nice and nonverbal way.

* * *

 _ **Tuesday – Day Two of the Rest of Their Lives**_

"I know it's after the fact by quite a bit of time and we're already married, but if you want me to get down on one knee to officially ask you, I will. But that would require you to get your naked body off of me. And then you'd be standing on the cold wood floor instead of snuggling in this nice warm bed with my legs wrapped around you."

They were lying under the patchwork quilt in Jack's single bed. The morning sun shone through the window of the simple room letting the couple know it was time to get on with their day but neither one planned on obeying nature's rule.

Elizabeth smiled. "Let's stay here. It's nice. I didn't need an official proposal. Or a wedding ceremony in front of a bunch of people. I just need you."

Jack bent down his head and kissed the top of hers, which was resting on his bare chest. He enjoyed feeling her weight on him as he ran a hand through her long messy hair.

"I know something else you don't need but you're going to get. Your trust fund. Despite your best intentions to avoid it, its going to be yours on your birthday.

Elizabeth traced her index finger along Jack's muscles, making small circles as she spoke. "I think we should use some to build a schoolhouse. And the rest we'll put aside until we need it one day."

"We won't need it. I can provide for us."

"I can help."

"You won't need to", a proud Jack countered.

Elizabeth smiled. "Would you agree that I am a good teacher with well educated students?"

"Of course."

"Would you agree that you are a good and knowledgeable constable?"

"Definitely."

"Well, in school, I learned from one of my well educated students, who learned from _you_ that the best animals are those that work _together_ as mates for life. Did you know that male and female beavers build their lodges _together_?"

Jack chuckled. "So, you're using my own words against me?"

"If I have to."

"Let me get this straight. . . you came to Coal Valley to get married before your birthday and to get your hands on your trust fund. And somehow, even though I was totally opposed to your plan, I ended up making it happen?"

"Yep."

"I'm starting to feel used."

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at Jack's teasing statement. She raised up her face and looked him in the eye. "I'll just have to make that up to you", she said with a mischievous grin.

Jack leaned back his head into the pillow as Elizabeth began moving on his body.

 _Maybe her original plan to marry hadn't been so stupid after all_ , he thought with a smile.

 **The End**

 **Thanks for reading, following, favoriting, and your reviews! Don't forget to check out my "Reversal of Fortune" for some laughs and my 12 Vignettes written under the name jellybean49 for some more romance and adventures.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this story.**


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